All Grown Up And Off To College
by HAWTgeek
Summary: Annie and Arty are all grown up and heading to college where a life of drama for the two step-sisters, leaving thier little brother, Beck, behind with their parents, Percy and Annabeth. Percy and Annabeth raised them, now it's their turn to make them proud. Now it's their turn to make them proud. Sequel to We All Grow Up, Even Percabeth.
1. Chapter 1

Artemis:

I placed the yearbook down on the desk in my dorm room, or, as I better say, my suite. These were almost impossible to get, basically reserved for the best of the best, or the scholars who they wanted to bribe out of rushing so they wouldn't lose track of their studies. I was proud to have gotten this three bedroom, one bath, dorm room even if Annie wasn't. Annie had barely even taken the time to check it out because she wanted to get into a sorority and wasn't staying here. I knew that sororities weren't for me even though Annie had spent the last summer convincing me that I had to join with her. Zak started laughing at the idea of me in one, but that's not the reason I decided against it. Fine, my boyfriend laughing may have been a benefactor, but that isn't my point here.

I was signed up for some of the hardest courses the school has to offer. I don't have time for formals and drama. I'm here for the college, not the college life. Besides, what example would I be to my baby brother to be getting drunk and flirting with Frat boys? No, I'm not making fun on Sororities or anything for that matter, but it just isn't for me. To tell you the truth, that would probably end up happening. My boyfriend having a drinking problem isn't the only reason I stay away from drinks. It only takes like four drinks for me to get drunk. Anyway, I like the arrangement right now. Nikki isn't too far for me to drive over to see her. Zak's in the dorm beside mine. This is just the way I want it. I don't want to leave my sister, though. Over the last few years, we've barely spent any time apart. I don't know what I'd do without being able to run home and snuggle up to a blanket while Annie pops in 'When In Rome' after a bad day. It isn't just me. She's never been without me. She may never study if I don't bore her into it because she's got nothing else to do while I'm studying. Maybe I should go for Annie?

Wait, this is college. I don't need to take care of Annie. She wouldn't be stupid enough to lose her scholarship anyway. I don't need to give in anymore. I can do what I want, and I want to stay here. I turned back to the drab room. It may be nicer than all of the others, but that doesn't mean it's not dull. The grey room wasn't big but wasn't small. The walls were white, and a bare double bed sat awaiting me to make it. I'm guessing this used to be one of the married life rooms. People used to beg to get these rooms because there was so much young marriage, but that's recently declined. So, I got one of the rooms. In the corner of the room, by the door, a black desk with only my Senior Yearbook on it sat, awaiting long study nights. A cork board waited for me to pin up pictures, dates, and who knows what else. All of the bookcases and all were in the living room where nothing but a couch, black coffee table, and a fireplace from when heating wasn't too popular in this place sat. Two doors led off from there to the other bedrooms, one where Annie was just hiding her suitcase as she didn't want to stay here, the other empty.

I personally didn't find it fair for Annie to have claimed a room if she was sure she didn't want to stay. Our mystery roommate could be staying and may want that room. Annie did care though. She just wanted to get rush over with so she could start her new college life whereas mine started when I had to make Beck cry when I got on the plane. I looked at the brown boxes and grey suitcases. I started off with grey suitcase with the purple tag reading 'Clothes'. Until now, I wasn't even aware how much clothes I packed. I remembered leaving some things there as I would be going back eventually and may need the clothes. I had also managed to take the crammed clothes that meant something to me from the back of the closet and hang them where they deserved to be hung. The dress of when our parents got together and Annie won the art show, the dress I wore to my mom's wedding, the pajamas from when Zak kissed me for the first time, my prom dress, and a few others now proudly hung in my closet, awaiting my arrival back for me to look at them once again. It felt like that Zak was right when he said I had too much clothes as I managed to force the last of the dresses into the crammed closet.

"Arty, you have to see this one!" Annie ran in to see my packed closet, a bunch of boxes spread out everywhere, and the picture of me and Zak at prom sitting on my desk. The look on her face told me that she understood everything from this one glance, but she had to ask anyway.

"Why are you unpacking? You'll have to pack it all back up for Rush," Annie pointed out.

"Ann, I'm not rushing," I told her, trying to make it sound like I was declaring it, not like the little peep I managed to say. I shouldn't be feeling like this.

"But I thought you said you'd wait until we got here to decide?" Annie sat down on my bed, almost knocking off a box. Calling on the strength of my two best friends, Nikki and Zak, I sat down next to her. I sometimes wonder why they hang out with me. They're fearless, but I'm still scared. You'd think they'd go find some hardcore girl to take my place.

"Annie, we're here, and look around. We got the suite. I'm only a short walk away from my boyfriend. I'll be so busy with my classes that they may not even want me," I tried to convince her.

"But this is college. We're supposed to be having fun, and sororities are fun. And we have to go. Felicia and Lisa will think we're too goody goody if we don't," Annie seemed to be hyperventilating. Since when did her old girly friends matter at all to us? Wait, they're going to one of the biggest party schools in the county. Now that I think about it, Annie didn't really care until she went shopping with them before we left New York. After that, she went into Sorority overdrive, trying to tell me anything that might change my mind.

"Annie, do you seriously want that? You have to uphold a scholarship, train for swimming, and manage to have a little fun. Do you seriously have time to go to Sorority council meetings or do you even want to?" I asked.

"Well, I-I want to have fun and go crazy at a party and –"Annie couldn't find her words.

"Be like Felicia and Lisa?" I crossed my arms. I always hated those girls. They had the perfect hair, were on the cheerleading team, had some guy do their homework in exchange for making out with them behind the bleachers, about two or three boyfriends at a time, and were 'the girls'. No, I am not jealous. Why would you think that? Ugh, I don't want to be a, for lack of a G-Rated word, Harpy. I admit, I do wish I had Lisa's straight blonde hair, versus my crazy curls that just never comply with my wishes. If I want to straighten it, it goes poufy. If I want it curly, it goes straight, "Andromeda, you don't have to be in a Sorority for that. You can go crazy whenever you want without having to worry about Greek rules. If you really want to go, I'll understand, but the question is, do you?"

"I don't know," Annie's straight hair dipped down to fall into her green eyes, and she looked like only one thing could pick up her spirits: really hot guy. I thought about when I dropped by Zak's dorm with Nikki. Hadn't there been a particularly cute boy there that Nikki was probably imagining how hot he was shirtless. What? She and super-hot Gabe broke up a long time ago. Actually, I'm pretty sure they made out at prom. Then, the next day they called it quits. I had to admit, I had even thought about Zak's new roommate.

"Hey, do you want to go see Zak's hot roommate?" I asked with a smile. Well, Nikki would just have to go find her another guy to marvel at. I'll go take her to some club, and she'll be fine.

"How hot?" Annie asked slightly looking up by now.

"A Gabe."

Over the years, we have come along with a hotness meter. Let me explain.

Gabe: Athletic, Tall, A Face That Looks Like It Was Carved Out Of Marble, and Some Really Hot Abs

Carter: Sweet, Not Very Defined, Curly Hair, and Dark Eyes

Terrence: Self Confident, Player-ish, but fun to look at

I think there are a few more, but we use those the most. There used to be a 'ZAK', but it was too weird for me. It feels wrong for me to compare someone to my boyfriend. I don't know why, but it is. Annie's face perked up. One for Artemis, and zero for Lisa and Felicia. Take that. I would have done a little happy dance had Annie not been there. Eh, I'll just make out with Zak in celebration. Besides, he'll probably like that option better. I was about to motion for the door when we heard a knock at the door. Annie and I got from our comfortable positions to check the door.

"Annie and Artemis?" a pretty brunette asked. Her straight hair went just above her shoulder. A black headband held back her brown hair out of her eyes. Modern black glasses almost hid her deep brown eyes. She looked like she had been studying the manual, like I had all summer with Zak, and biting her lip the entire day. I knew her type, and I already liked her.

"I'm Arty," I smiled.

"I'm Megan," the brunette smiled. She had a warm smile, but it still looked nervous as if she hadn't used it much in high school. I managed to see a few acne scars on her right cheek. I knew she would be a good roommate right from the start.

"I'm Annie," Annie told her, probably still picturing how hot Zak's roommate really is.

**XXXXXXXX**

Megan sat at the couch, sorting through all her new books, some college most fiction. She was setting it in order of her classes. I took my phone out to look at it again to see that I had no messages. We had just gotten to college. What about Nikki, the decorator who always wants to fix up everything as dull is an evil word to her, or my superhot boyfriend who just finally got me away from my parents and brother? Shouldn't they be calling me like crazy? I then closed my bedroom door to go back to my room. I ended up hanging up curtains to hide the grey walls smudged with dirt and with putting up pictures of all my friends, and like twenty of my baby brother. Pathetically, I finally managed to make the bed with a purple comforter with lacey grey print on it. Thousands of pictures were hung on the wall above my bed where I had the aquamarine curtains parting for the bed. My grey, silicon covered laptop sat on my black desk. It looked like it had earned its title as my room, but I still missed my room back home. I missed the fact that Beck could just run into my room, and we could spend hours building card houses as he told me about Katrina. Wow, I got along way too well with this kid.

I grabbed my purse and my keys as I slipped through my bedroom door. Annie was going for a swim, and I was beyond bored. Nikki had dropped off my keys along with the car in my dorm room as she had gotten here a whole lot earlier than I did. Her dad had said his heartfelt goodbyes before having to go off to Peru. Her aunt cried but let her go, and her Cousin even flew in to see her even though she hated flying, especially since she was worried for her unborn baby. Nikki cried the entire drive up here, but she managed. Nikki had come up here two days before me, as I was supposed to, but I didn't tell my parents as they were taking the thought of the little time we had was hurting them.

As I opened the door, I managed to find a boy with high cheekbones, light green eyes, curly black hair, and a look of surprise. If I hadn't truly, _like really _loved Zak, I would have gone weak in the knees.

"Keep it going!" Nikki yelled at him. I moved away from the door frame. He groaned before lugging a box in. After him, Zak came in looking like he was going to die. I was too shocked to kiss him hello. Instead, I looked at the girl behind them. I had to admit, only she could pull her look off. Her once black hair was now bubblegum pink and cut to be short and spiky, and she wore a black pair of skinny jeans, a polka dot tee-shirt, a pair of black combat boots, and a look of bossiness.

"Sweetheart, I am so sorry I'm late. I know I'm a terrible a friend for letting you live like this," Nikki hugged me for a second before turning back to her slaves, err, the boys.

"And I'm a terrible boyfriend for letting your best friend do this to you," Zak kissed my cheek. I took a second. Okay, breathe, I'm good. Now, I'm good. I looked over at Megan who was now looking at the four of us.

"This is Nikki," I pointed to the crazy girl, "This is my boyfriend, Zak, and I'm pretty sure that he is Zak's roommate, Marco," I guessed.

"Close enough. I'm Marcus," Maracas shrugged. I looked at Megan. This has to be hard to take in. A guy, Marcus, who is so hot he looks like a god walks in carrying a box marked 'Decorating'. Following him, a hot punk, who happens to be my boyfriend, walks in, also lugging a similar box. Then a girl with pink hair is directing them, and they all know her roommate. Poor girl.

"Now, boys, get back to work. Go get the other boxes, and I'll supervise," Nikki ordered. They did not prompt into action which didn't surprise me. Nikki, probably knowing that she wouldn't end up with Marcus, snapped her fingers as she looked at the two boys. A fear registered in their eyes before they ran off to do as she said.

"What's up with your hair?" I asked looked at Nikki. I had always coveted my best friend's hair. When I first met her, she had red hair. Ever since then, she's died it a new color every year at the beginning of the school year. Personally, I always preferred red with her, but she still could pull off the crazy colors somehow.

"Don't you just love it? It'll make a sensation in class, don't ya think? I love it, but I'm considering dying it back to red. What do you think? Oh, what if I dye my hair red and get blue, purple, white, and pink streaks? Or should I just get a white streak in this one? Ugh, you are so lucky that you keep your hair so boringly natural," Nikki groaned. I tried not to let the insult get to me.

"Thanks," I sarcastically said under my breath as I put down my tote on the counter of the kitchenette. Nikki ignored my comment as she critically looked around the room. I tried not to notice how she looked at Megan. Nikki is nice, but she doesn't like… well, _geeky _people. When we were thirteen, she almost got killed by and got a scar from a monster who disguised himself as a geeky boy, who she developed a huge crush on. Ever since, she avoids them at all cost as if they were to blame for her first broken heart. Zak and I try to keep Nikki away from them because she keeps us away from people who think all skaters are stupid and high, which we're not. For crying out loud, I was valedictorian and Zak got second. Could a stupid, high person do that? I think not. Even if she didn't, it makes her happy, and she _is_ our friend.

"Who are you?" Nikki unconcernedly asked Megan. It may sound rude to you, but it is a huge step up from screaming and storming away from them. So, I knew she was desperately trying, even if she was probably grinding her teeth as she turned away from Megan to look at the boxes.

"I'm Megan," Megan's voice was timid as if she could sense Nikki's frigid attitude. You'd have to be stupid not to.

"Megan's Psychiatry major," I pointed out, hoping it might just help, but it didn't. Nikki is an undecided, and so am I. Technically, we have to wait until next year to choose our majors, but most have secretly already done so.

"Oh, so you plan on talking to crazy people for the rest of your life?" Nikki tried to make it not sound mean, but even I knew it was impossible. Megan nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. I didn't know how to defuse the tension, and I hated not knowing things. So, my anger was also mixed into the atmosphere.

"I plan on helping people through their problems, which I suppose would fit into 'talking to crazy people for the rest of my life' as you put it," Megan looked down at the rest of her books.

Well, now, I have another reason to kiss my boyfriend. You know, I don't know what I'd do without him. No, I do. I would never had learned to skate, couldn't have gotten Beck to stop crying multiple times, would have gone crazy with all the drama in our school, and who knows what else. I would have been miserable. What if I hadn't taken him back after I found out he was drinking? I would have gone insane.

"This should be the last of it," Zak told Nikki as Marcus set his box down. It took all of my willpower not to kiss him.

"So, Nik, why are you forcing boys to bring boxes in my dorm, again?" I asked with my arms crossed. The only problem was that a playful smile gave away my cover.

"Dearest Art, you are great, but if I am to hang out with you here, this place has to be…" Nikki's pink lips tried to find the right word.

"Dramatically redecorated?" I guessed with a roll of my eyes. Nikki's face lit up as she thanked me before going back into her little speech, obviously missing the eye roll. The door swung open to show a frustrated Annie.

"Artemis, where is my phone? It's not in my purse, and I didn't leave it in New York. Ugh, if Charlie came down here to get my phone, I'm going to kill him. Beck is supposed to be sending us a picture of his first day, and Will even promised he wouldn't do a prank. And I lost my-!" Annie was cut off from yelling and searching everywhere for her phone by seeing Marcus. I have to admit that the two were both speechless. Zak stepped forward to stand beside me as he saw that his roommate was a little preoccupied. Megan, I guess feeling uncomfortable, got up with an armful of books to take to her room

"_Annie and Marcus sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G," _Zak whispered in my ear. I couldn't hold back a laugh, but Annie and Marcus didn't seem to notice.

"Should I break them out of it?" I whispered back at him. Zak wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I tried to keep away a smile.

"Fine," Zak groaned.

"Annie, I think I saw your phone in your room," I let my voice be audible to more than just Zak.

"Oh yeah. Uh, thanks, Arty," Annie still seemed fazed as she walked into her room. I leaned deeper into Zak letting him know that just because they were done staring at each other didn't mean I wanted him to let go of me. He seemed to understand as he gripped me tighter.

"So, Will promised not to pull any pranks?" Zak asked me.

"Katrina told him that she would tell everyone in class that he had 'cooties' if he didn't," I would have shrugged had his arm not been around me.

"How's Katrina? She was just so cute. I cannot wait until they end up together. Hopefully, it won't take as long as you did," Nikki rolled her black eyes. Looking at her now, I couldn't believe that she was the same girl I met at camp so many years ago. When I first saw her, she was wearing a button-up blouse, orange hair braided behind her back, a black pleated skirt, matching knee socks, a black blazer with the sign of 'Clarion School For Girls', where we both went to the day classes. A monster attacked and a satyr brought us to Camp Half-Blood along with Zak. The next time I saw her after I blacked out after a hard hit to my head she was still wearing a ripped up, pink long sleeve top from where she ran the monster, a pair of grey shorts, and white Nikes. Now, she looked like the girl she was all along, a wild little girl who has the brain of a geek and the personality of a hardcore partier. I couldn't help but want to drag her to the salon, give her extensions, and dye her hair back to the original orange.

"It only took-"I started off, "Wait, how long were we just friends?" I asked turning to Zak.

"Let me see. We were fifteen, and we met when we were about nine. So, six years or so," Zak shrugged.

"You guys were best friends for _six years_?" Marcus asked us.

"Yes, we spent six years of our lives with him breaking me apart from any guy I ever liked, me hating his girlfriend, my baby brother almost begging us to go out, and of course my step father giving him glares anytime we left the apartment together," I answered.

"Ugh, now I miss Becky," Nikki complained as she cut open the box with a celestial bronze knife. I had absolutely no idea how it went through, but I know it did. I tried not to ponder that as I thought of Beck. I missed him like crazy. We all did. Me mostly, but we all did.

I heard the ring of my sister's cell phone. I knew the ring anywhere as it was "1 2 3 4" by Plain White T's, and we had listened to the song about a million times when we were younger. Zak and I didn't even have to look at each other to set off the race. I raced out of his embrace towards my room where I'm guessing it fell out of her pocket while we were talking with him dangerously behind me. I slammed the door behind me, hoping that he wasn't too close to squeeze in before I closed it. After the door slammed into his nose, he pushed right back open, but it was too late. I won.

"Beck-A-Dee!" I exclaimed into the phone. Zak tried to reach the phone away from me. Instead, I snapped away his hand as Beck answered me.

"Arty!" his laugh was innocent and sweet. I wondered if I had sounded that way. I even wondered if Zak had been that way. When I met him, he was scared and worried for his life. He had seen too much, and he wouldn't ever be like that again. I

"Oh, Sweetie, I miss you so much. Annie can't come to the phone, but how was your first day of school? How was Katrina?" I asked him making sure I mentioned Kat in some little way. I knew he was totally head over heels for her, even if he would never admit it to me. I know how it feels. So, I'm trying to help him even though I know he doesn't want my help, just as I never wanted Annie's help.

"It was good. Kat seems fine. Will didn't pull any pranks this time. My teacher is really nice," Becky told me. He paused before continuing, "Is Zak there?"

"Becky, Zak-Attack is a little busy, but I'll make sure he calls you because you know what I'll do to him if he doesn't," I managed to see Zak almost let out a groan, and he quickly got away. Oh come on, all I do is ignore him completely for a few days and slap him a few times. It isn't that bad. Or at least, that's what I usually do. There are certain circumstances where things are different, but that's another point.

"How are you?" Beck asked me.

"Tired. Missing you, Mom, and Dad. Hey, how are Charlie and Avery? They haven't done anything bad yet, have they?" I asked hopefully. I love those kids. I really do, but they're pretty mischievous. And I've seen a direct product of Hades. I'm not so sure how Hades and Athena mix? Smart and evil? Oh gods, take care of them.

"Everything is great. Well, Charlie accidentally brought a few skeletons up. It's fine though. Everyone keeps saying it was just a small earthquake, and Charlie sent them all back," Charlie tried to reassure me. I nodded as I knew they were like brothers, not just cousins. I saw Annie walk back in.

"Well, tell them I said hi, okay? I love you, Beck-A-Dee. Here's Annie," I handed Annie the phone. Annie smiled as I'm sure Beck started talking to her.

"Zak is busy?" Zak crossed his arms. I tried not to look into his blue eyes. Instead, I just shrugged.

"My brother, not yours," I pointed out. Zak rolled his eyes.

"Fine. How are my niece and nephew?" Zak just asked me instead of continuing this deep into a fight. I thought of a way to tell him about the earthquake without Marcus having to know about how he actually can cause earthquakes. Let me tell you, it was tricky. I couldn't use the code words without Marcus asking what that meant or thinking I was crazy. I also had to phrase it to where he couldn't find any way to see it as me criticizing Charlie, as he was my cousin as well.

"Avery is wonderful. Charlie, on the other hand, is just like his Uncle Zak," I think it was a good way to put it as I could then explain it to him later. Marcus looked like he was about to laugh that I just insulted my boyfriend, and Zak didn't even seem to notice. He was used to it. I looked over at Nikki who happened to be in full decorating mode. Deciding she would be a while, I plopped down on the couch. I started to wonder what Beck would be telling Annie or if they had already hung up and she was just thinking of Marcus. Tell my boyfriend I ever, I repeat _ever_, said this you are not just dead but confined to Tartus. Marcus is like insanely hot.

Okay, good. I've gotten that out of my system. Now, I can think of something else, like….. what else is there? Oh, I could think about how I beat out Marnie with getting Zak. Nah. What about….? I have got to get a life.

"Move over," Zak told me. Part of me wanted to stretch out farther, but that wasn't the very bored part of me. I moved my legs to sit erect just as Zak had asked. I hope he knows that this isn't always going to happen as I have earned a reputation of getting what I want back at camp.

"Wait a minute, you didn't pout or anything. I think we're making progress," Zak joked as he sat down on the couch. I took an Ugg-clad foot and kicked his leg. He just smiled. Oh, right, he's wearing thick jeans. Wait, someone could have warned me! Ugh, and I thought you liked me. Humph, this teaches me better.

"Shut up," I mumbled.

"Still missing Becky?" Zak asked me.

"Zak, not everything is about my little brother," I turned to him.

"Really missing him?" Zak asked again.

"Insanely," I sighed. Why did Zak have to be right? It's just not fair. Then again, I'm usually right, too. I guess it is kind of fair when you really think about it, but wait, what am I saying? I am supposed to be mad, not in a way protecting my boyfriend.

"It'll be okay. I'm sure Beck misses you, too," Zak tried to comfort me, even though it really didn't help. So, is Becky missing me as much as I'm missing him? That's a terrible thought. How could Zak think that would help me at all?

"Not helping, Zachary. Artemis, you and Beck will get along even better when you see each other next. You helped raise the little booger. Even if your boyfriend isn't good with comforting," Nikki hit Zak's head, "You still have me and Annie."

**Annie:**

I tied my soaking wet hair into a high ponytail. I tried to concentrate on the fact that I needed to get back to the dorm, but I couldn't. All I could think about was _him._ One look and I can't think of anything but him. I thought I loved Joel. In a few more months, he'll be here just as I dreamed, but I don't know anymore. For crying out loud, I can barely even walk home because of him.

Joel is perfect for me. I've known him for years. What else would I need? But Marcus…Marcus is exciting. Marcus is, well, like insanely hot. What am I doing? I don't even know Marcus. What if he is terrible for me?

But when I looked at him, I just kind of knew. I knew that right there I wouldn't be able to live without him. What am I saying? I don't know him.

Feeling helpless, I turned my walk into a run. I hate this. Guys have never been a problem for me. I like them or I don't. It's always been this easy. It's never made me sick to my stomach with fear and happiness. It definitely never has made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. What is this? I've never felt like this, and I never want to again. I thought I knew everything about guys and relationships. This is my domain. I feel as if someone has wrenched away my title and left me out in the cold. I hate it. I hate it. The next thing I knew, I was almost sent sprawling into the ground by running into Arty.

"Anne, are you okay?" Artemis asked. I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Sorry, just a little jumpy," then I saw him. Marcus was standing beside Artemis and looking at me with those beautiful brown eyes. I felt self-conscious as I noticed it. Yeah, I completely hate this, "Actually, I better get going," I started to walk past them both. I decided against running as I didn't want them to think I was trying to get away, even though I was. Well, there is no point that they should know that.

"Hey, Annie," Artemis ran up to walk beside me. I found myself praying that Marcus wouldn't follow her example, "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" I tried to act nonchalant, but I don't think I did very well. No, I know I didn't because Arty was now looking at me and had stopped in the middle of a sidewalk, which is something she never does.

"You totally like Marcus," Artemis smiled.

"What? No, why would you think that? No, no, I don't," I tried. I didn't even buy it, but it was true. I hate him. He has made me crazy, and worried, and I have been reduced to having been stuck thinking about him for the last two days. Classes start in three days, and I don't think I can keep up a scholarship feeling like this.

"You so do," Artemis giddily smiled.

"Can we not talk about this in the middle of the sidewalk?" I hissed. Artemis just rolled her eyes and dragged me to sit on a bench. Well, it was still near the sidewalk, but it did have a little more privacy.

"Happy now? Now, what's your problem? You've been head over heels for hundreds of guys. What's so different this time?" Artemis asked like the protectively sweet sister she was, even though I'm pretty sure she thinks she is the eldest as that's how she acts.

"Because it is different. I've never felt like this. I want to kill him and be around him all at the same time. I feel like laughing and crying. He makes me feel sick to my stomach and want to run a marathon. What's happening?" I felt like crying. This isn't fair. It just isn't.

"Annie, you've seriously never felt like this?" Artemis looked like she was going to laugh. I wanted to slap her right there, but I was too busy keeping the tears at bay. I turned to look at her. She _had_ felt this way? Then she knows what it is and how to get rid of it.

"What is it, Artty? How do I get rid of it?" I asked hopefully.

"Annie, you can't get rid of it," Annie tried not to laugh, "I thought you said you loved Joel."

"I did. I mean, I do."

"No, Annie, you didn't. All of this is love. I've been going through it for a year. I can assure you, I've tried to get rid of it, but you cant. Sorry, honey, but you're in love with Marcus," Artemis smiled.

No, I couldn't. I love Joel. I don't know Marcus. I don't. So, I can't love him, right? It's physically impossible. It is.

But now, I just want to see him. I don't want to be anywhere but with him. This has got to stop.

Oh my gods. I love Marcus.

**I know it is insanely long. This is what happens when I am given almost three weeks to write and realized that I had completely left out Annie. So, I had to go back and write her short POV. Her's would have been better had I not been feeling sick and having to run to the bathroom every ten minutes. Well, it is finally here. I hope you enjoy. Dont worry. It shall get better, I promise. **

**Well, I dont know what to do now. So, I'll just say bye and watch as I press publish. **

**Love, **

**HAWTgeek**


	2. Chapter 2

**As a warning, there might be mildly suggestive themes, and a mention of drinking. I'm going to say this right now, **

**There will be: suggestion, drinking**

**There will not be: lemons, profanity**

**I also do not own PJO as I am not a thirty something father in Texas. Actually, I'm a girl. So, sorry. If you don't like the drinking or suggestion, you may want to stop reading this story. **

**Also, Artemis was named after the goddess. I now wish I had named her Zoe, but I didn't think. So Artemis is the daughter of Annabeth and Hephaestus and step-daughter of Percy. Andromeda is the daughter of Hecate and Percy and also the step-daughter of Annabeth. Zak is the son of Hades and Martha Black. Nikki is the daughter of Hecate and Jonathan Brooks but was raised by her recently divorced aunt. Got it all? Good.**

**Artemis: **

Making sure I grabbed the bag of gummy worms and a Tylenol, I walked over to sit by Annie on the couch. Annie had been training harder than ever so she could keep up a scholarship. From what she had told me, her day started with getting up at 5:45 when she made herself a strawberry protein shake for breakfast. After that, she went for a thirty minute run. Once done with that, she went for a swim where she repeatedly went from end to end of the pool for about 45 minutes. She then ran home before taking a long shower. Seeing it was then seven fifteen, she did yoga for an hour before coming to wake me up. I then went through my routine of a shower, getting ready, and trying not to burn my toast or spill my orange juice. In comparison, mine looks pretty lame, but look at Annie now.

She used to do this every morning, but she hasn't done it in about a week. She started doing this all gradually in the course of three years. Today, on the other hand, she went straight back into it, and her body is rejecting it. I even watched her do some yoga, and she was inflexible and in pain obviously.

Right now, she was lying on the couch with a wet clothe over her eyes. Her fake tan was paling and beads of sweat sat atop. I put down the gummy worms and grabbed a glass of water that had been placed by Annie on the wood floor. Handing Annie the Tylenol, I slid the washcloth off her eyes. Her sea green eyes peered at me before taking the pill and glass of water.

"Do you want me to tell your date that you can't make the party?" I asked. We hadn't even been here a week, and Annie already had a date for a party. She had invited me and Zak, but I knew that there would probably be drinking. Zak is better, and I allow him a little bit for special events as he is healing. Of course, I didn't want him having to be so subjected to being tempted. Besides, Morgan is off to stay with some of the girls she may be rushing with. She's thinking of rushing, and she's staying with someone who is rushing to see if it's right for her. Annie was going to join her, but when a football player asked her to head off to a party with him, she ditched.

"No, I need to get back on the social scene," Annie sat up as if she was trying to prove to me that she could handle it though it didn't change my mind one bit, "Are you sure you and Zak don't want to come?"

"I'm sure. We've barely spent any time together recently. We need some time," I smiled even if we were supposed to study during our said date.

"Alright, but if he does anything, I'll kill him," Annie tried to pull off a smile, but I knew her head was still pounding.

"Don't worry, Annie. Do you need anything else?" I asked even though I knew I actually needed to get to Best Buy as my laptop's repairs are all done, but she's my sister. I want to be there for her even if she doesn't need me.

"I'm fine, Art. I just need some sleep," Annie started to get up from her seat to go to her room. I moved out of her way and noticed the gummy worms. Annie has a rule. Sweets are reserved for breakups or when guys send them to her. So, sometimes she can go for weeks at a time without them whereas I need at least a sip of the sugar in Gatorade or I'm irritable and have terrible migraines. Whenever I exert myself, like Annie did this morning, I need something really sweet to get my blood sugar back up. I don't know if Annie is the same way, but I do know that it's worth a shot.

"Anne, eat some of these," I handed her the bag and knew she was looking at me like I was crazy.

"Arty, I have to walk around in heels and a tiny dress tonight. I'm not going to try to put on weight," Annie continued to look at me as if I was mad. I wanted to be defensive as I ate those all the time, but I didn't. Instead, I took a breath and told myself repeatedly that she was tired and irritable so I shouldn't take it too seriously. The other part of me wanted to scream that I ate them all the time and still got the guy, but I wouldn't dare. Annie had a huge crush on Marcus and was scared about it. She had never felt like that, and I knew it as what could be the early stages of love. Either that or she found him way hotter than I did. Of course, my overreacting and revealing that it could be love made everything worse. She was trying to stray away from the idea as she didn't want anything like that. She wanted to date some hot guy until Joel got here. Even if she wouldn't admit it, I knew she still wanted to go by the plan she made back when we were sixteen. She told me that she wanted to go to college with him, get her dream job, marry him, and have two beautiful children. Personally, I don't know how exactly that plan will work out, but she's clinging to it as if her life depended on it. I know why, too. I clung onto the idea that I didn't love Zak. I had prayed every day that I could be happy with my current boyfriend, Ron, but I couldn't. That didn't mean I wanted to just come right out and say that I loved Zak. No, I ended up waiting until Ron and I had been split up for almost a year, and Zak had to make the first move.

"It's for your blood sugar, Annie," I rolled my eyes. Deciding against speaking, she took the bag.

"_Now, Arty, you are to not track, put any cameras on, or any such thing to us while this is happening. You are also not to involve yourself or force others to involve you," Zak looked straight at me. We were thirteen, and he had finally reached my height. I knew that eventually he would get taller, but I had hoped I would be given more time to gloat. I wanted to protest, but I could barely think with him this close to me. _

"_You really don't trust me?" I asked my eyes big. A moment of guilt covered his face for a second. _

"_Good move," I smiled, "There's a camera on your back. It blends into the jacket. So, to find it, you have to be looking for it," I shrugged. Zak looked at me in amazement before taking off his jacket to find it. He really shouldn't be so amazed. He won't let me this quest because he says it is too dangerous when they really need me along. So, of course I'd try to get in on it in some little way. It's my nature. Both my parents are that way or at least I'm told Hephaestus is that way. I wouldn't really know. He was gone by the time I was born for me to only see him about once every two years. I get that's he a god and everything, but I still wish I could be able to know him. _

"_Anything else?" Zak asked me. I had to really think about it. Sometimes, I do things without thinking. I can't help it. Again, it's just my nature. Well, I was going to put a comforting hand on Fred's shoulder that happened to have a tracking device. I was also going to flirt my way into Harold telling me everything that was going on during all this. My plan also included sending Zak an Iris Message and guilting him into telling me as well. _

"_You might want to take the take the pendant off your necklace and run it under cold water," I shrugged. Instead of doing that, he just unhinged the entire necklace and handed it to me. _

"_When I get back, it better be debugged, and, while you're at it, debug everything," Zak raised his eyebrows in a forceful manner. For anyone else, I would have sneered and walked back to my cabin. For him, I took the necklace and nodded. _

"_Fine," I mumbled. He nodded, and I watched him walk away. I should have been plotting how to kill but I wasn't thinking like that. I was worrying about him. I couldn't even bear the thought that he could… he could…. I couldn't finish that thought. Instead, I started to walk back to my cabin, gripping the necklace for my dear life. _

_Well, if I'm going to worry about him to death, I might as well do as he asked._

I gripped the necklace around my neck tightly. He gave it to me about two years after that. We had just started going out, and I was going on a quest without him. For good luck, Zak gave it to me. I've barely stopped wearing it since. Beck used to ask me why I wore it so much, and I always answered the same thing, 'Ask Zak'. Of course, Zak would say 'Ask her. I guess she just likes it.' Oh, and Beck would. This continued for about a week. Eventually, I just broke down and told him that Zak had given to me as good luck a few years ago. That explanation seemed satisfy Beck.

Of course, I then found out that he had given Kat a necklace for good luck two weeks later at breakfast, and I laughed until orange juice came out my nose. After that, I didn't bring it up again as I knew that they would think of that, and I never want anyone to think of it ever again.

"Thanks, Artemis. I'm just a little…." Annie trailed off.

"I get it, Annie. I get it," I smiled. Annie may be a little crazy, but I do know that I would be like that if I didn't have Zak. I also know that I was just like that when I was still confused about me and Zak. It was almost impossible to be around me sometimes, but I'm better. Of course, sometimes I'm so confused or frustrated that even I hate myself. Annie has it a thousand times worse. She has to cope with having a guy who doesn't even know very well and her high school sweetheart showing up.

Silently, I prayed that I would never have to go back on the dating scene again. Of course, then I turned scarlet. Don't tell Zak that I think we end up together or anything, but I sort of hope that a wedding ring from him. I hope we will, but still. I… alright, I need a new subject right now.

"Wake me up in two hours, okay?" Annie asked me, and I nodded. She disappeared back into her room while I sat there alone. I started to worry for Beck. I haven't seen him in what feels like forever. He's just so smart. I wish I could just clutch him in my arms one more time. If not just that, seeing Zak with Beck proved he could eventually make a good father.

What am I saying? We're freshmen in college. We are so not ready to settle down. I know that we may not stay together forever, but I really want us to. I've been in love with him from the time I was twelve. I don't want to just give it all up. My only fear is that he'll change his mind. I'm scared that he'll stop loving me and say goodbye.

**Annie:**

"Hey, I'm going to go get a drink. I'll be back in a minute," I told my date before walking away from the almost drunk male. He may be hot, but he isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Besides, the more I get to know him, the more I start to wonder if this is how Marcus is. I've got to know him a little bit, but I don't know him. I hate feeling strongly for him when I don't know him. He can easily break me, and there isn't a thing I can do about it. My date, Daniel, is great, but he's just too great. I don't really see it going anywhere.

If I was going to spend the next few hours with him, I was going to need a drink or two. So, I took my own good time grabbing the drink. Taking the first sip, I turned back to look at the party. What caught my eye wasn't surprising, but it still hurt.

The girl reminded me a lot of Kelsey even though she looked different. Long brown curls tumbled down to reach her waist. A purple cardigan was left for the top few buttons open. Her jeans were so tight that they had to be jeggings instead of jeans. Purple heels matched off to the purple necklace she was flirtily fingering. Silver bangles clanged as she played with her hair as they matched, yet again the same color, purple nails.

Daniel seemed to be buying into it, and I tried not to feel heartbroken. I was the one who had basically ignored him. Instead of marching over there and causing a scene, I downed my drink and started to walk towards the door. I was tired, and it was probably best that I left. Arty and Zak probably won't notice me if I just go straight to my room. I feel like I could sleep for a month. Tomorrow, I need to get back into my habits of keeping to my workouts.

I was about to hightail it out of there when Marcus emerged through the door I was about to leave from. His black curls were offset by beautiful green eyes. He was six three or so as he was taller than Zak by a good inch. Of course, he also had to be wearing something beyond cute. A blue tee shirt was matched off with navy converse, distressed dark wash jeans, a 'Pray for Japan' bracelet, and a shark tooth necklace.

I felt myself go as red as Kelsey's top that day when I saw that she was going out with Joshua. I had to look terrible as my dress was a blue sleeveless minidress that hugged every curve to match the blue high heels. Red didn't match this at all. Part of me wanted to be self-conscious and fix my hair, but the other wanted to continue to high tail it out. Undecided on what to do, I stood there like an idiot. Marcus seemed to notice me as he smiled and started to walk over to where I was.

"Leaving already?" he smiled. I took a second to stop from stuttering.

"The guy making out with the girl in purple was my date," I pointed to him. Marcus nodded.

"And she was supposed to be my blind date," Marcus told me.

_Of course she is,_ I wanted to scream, but I couldn't .Considering I had just been stood up, I knew what he needed, and that was a drink.

"Come on. I don't know about you, but I need a drink," I smiled. He laughed and nodded

"Two vodka cranberry's it is," Marcus smiled. I would have just said bye and walked away. Of course, I really needed a drink right about now. So, I followed him back into the crowd.

Looking back on it, I remember the first drink. He was sweet and funny. So, I was fine with us drinking another. He was still funny, but I was starting to get woozy. I was about to say goodbye when I saw my date walk out with the girl hand-in-hand. After that, I downed another before reaching for yet another drink. After about the fourth drink with him, I started to black out.

**Artemis:**

"I think we've studied enough, and you know it. So let's just put the books down," I tried to convince Zak as I knew he actually wanted to study whereas I would have done just about anything to get some time with him. Zak just chuckled before putting his book down on the coffee table. I took his arm and guided it to be wrapped around me. I rested my curls on his chest, and he looked down at me.

"What's wrong?" he asked before kissing the side of my head. I just snuggled up to him even if there really was nothing wrong. The moonlight was shining in through the window illuminating Zak's face. How the Hades does he look so good without any effort as it seems? It took me twenty minutes to get my blonde curls to not be frizzy. It took me fifteen minutes to pick out just the top I wanted to wear. I'm pretty sure it took him five minutes to take a shower and change. Lucky.

"Why would you think that something's wrong?" I asked trying not to bite my lip as it was a force of habit when I was being accused. Then again, I tend to bite my lip when I really wanted to kiss him but was trying to carry on a conversation.

"Because you're being extremely affectionate. You're biting your lip and playing with your necklace. So, either you are about to dump me or something's wrong. I'm aiming for something wrong," he smiled. If it was possible, I snuggled closer.

"I've just been thinking about Joel and Annie," I sighed. He didn't seem to understand so I continued on, "They thought they were so in love, and one silly little fight sent them running. I just don't want to see that happen to us."

Zak took a second to take that in. I really wish he wouldn't have. I needed support right now, not a second later. His grip on my hand slightly lessened, and I squeezed his hand to let him now that I really did actually need comfort.

"The necklace," Zak looked down at me. I must have looked as confused as I felt as he kept on, "When we were fifteen, you went on a quest without me, and I was scared to death. For good luck, I gave you my necklace. Since then, I've barely seen you without it. I guess, after seeing that, there was no doubt. I knew right then I loved you. I guess I thought you loved me, too," Zak looked told me making me feel guilty.

"I love you so much, Zak," I almost felt like crying. Sensing the tears were about to fall, Zak kissed me. As soon as his lips met mine, I couldn't think about anything anymore. Any tears were hidden away as the buzz took over. Time slipped away as I leaned deeper into him. The next thing I knew, I was on top of him. I didn't think of how late it was getting and how Annie was late even though I really should have been.

**Terrible? Awful? OCC? All of the above? **

**I don't know. I'm just getting into it. So, SOH-REY! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Artemis:**_

_I was packing pictures up in a cardboard box marked 'Pictures'. I noticed how around me boxes were taped up and prepared to be shipped off to wherever they're going. For some strange reason, I looked up to a mirror that hadn't been packed yet. My long hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and I looked to be around late twenty's or early thirty's. Behind me, a pale blue wall of what was probably once a bedroom with boxes piled high where a bed probably once was. The sun was shining into the room, illuminating everything in its path. I could just imagine how it had once looked._

"_Artemis?" my mother's voice called. It felt sweet to hear her instead of a messed up version on the phone. I called out a yes, and my mother came in. Her blonde hair was starting to grey, and wrinkles were starting to set in. A radiant smile on her face was something I hadn't seen since the day I got into AU, but there it was. She managed to still look beautiful even in her old age, but that didn't take center stage. _

_In her arms, a bubbly little girl sat. Bouncing blonde curls framed her cute little face. Startling blue eyes shined out, and she looked to be about two or three. A beautiful smile appeared as she looked at me, and I felt my own lips smile. Even though I had absolutely no idea who she was, I knew I loved her more than life. _

"_Come on, Darling, let's say goodbye to Mommy," my mom smiled as she handed the two year old to me. I clutched the toddler for dear life and kissed the golden curls that I noticed looked just like the ones I had when I was her age._

"_Mommy's going to miss you so much," I squeezed her before looking down, "I promise I'll be there in a few days. Did you say goodbye to Daddy?" the toddler nodded sending her curls into a frenzy. It was actually kind of adorable._

"_She said goodbye before he went to his last day this morning," Mom told me. I nodded and looked down at her. I couldn't bear to let her go even if I didn't have a choice. She looked so much like me, and she reminded me of someone else. I just couldn't place who. _

"_I love you so so much. Be a good girl for your grandparents," I told her. She nodded, and I kissed her head one last time. _

"_I love you, Mommy," the little girl whispered before Mom took her. Hearing that made my heart break and swell. _

"_We'll call you after the flight. Love you, Arty," Mom hugged me. Wow, I'm getting a lot of hugs today, and I haven't even seen an hour of this. _

The sun started to shine into my eyes, waking me up. I couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to be around that toddler even if she hasn't been born yet or may not be born. Either way, I had enough to think about before I turned over in the bed.

Zak lay there, asleep. For a second or two, I couldn't breathe. Trying to remember whatever happened before I had that dream, I caught up with the breathing thing though it wasn't easy. A migraine was starting to form, and I felt like another hour or so of sleep. But I couldn't go back to sleep if my life depended on it.

"Oh my gods," I muttered as I remembered the events. I needed a drink, but I didn't dare. A feeling of stupidity and guilt set over me. I gave him everything. Everything. I was brought back to that dream. That little girl's eyes looked so familiar. Where have I seen them before? Zak groaned before opening his eyes. His deep blue eyes.

Deep blue eyes…. The same blue eyes that little girl had…. The little girl who called me 'Mommy'… my daughter

I couldn't think. Even if I could, what would I think? It could be a coincidence that he looked like my future daughter. I never even learned her name or her father's name. I could have had a child with a man who had the same eyes, but I had never seen anyone who shared the same beautiful shade of blue. What likelihood would it be for me to have a child with someone else who had them if I've only seen one person with that color? I can assure you, it isn't a very large chance.

"Good morning," Zak smiled. I tried to shake off the image of the little girl, but I couldn't. So, I focused on him. I had no idea what time it was, and I didn't really care which was very unlike me.

"Good morning, Zak," I smiled as he took my hand. I squeezed his hand and kissed him. Okay, seriously, why are his lips so soft? He's a son of Hades. Aren't Hades kids supposed to be bad with social skills, therefore not good kissers? I'm pretty sure that Apollo kids aren't even this good. It was about three minutes into the kiss that I started to really think about last night. Annie had told me that she was going to be late. That usually meant that Annie would be behind on her morning routine. Even I was surprised as I pulled up from the kiss, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was too. I looked over at the clock. It was about eight thirty. I started to get up, worried.

"Did I miss something?" Zak asked with a bewildered look. I turned back to look at him as I slid on a 'Secondhand Serenade' tee-shirt.

"Annie will be getting back from swimming any minute, and she'll be coming straight in here," I answered. That was all it took to get him up.

"Seriously? She wasn't even back when I fell asleep at two last night, and she'll still work out all morning," Zak complained as he started to get dressed. Wait, what? She wasn't back at two A.M.? Annie never does that.

"I'll see you later, Arty. Love you," he started to leave. Seriously? It took him three minutes tops. I couldn't even have grabbed something from my closet in that time.

"Love you," I didn't say it full heartedly. Of course I love him, but that wasn't what I was really thinking about. I was still thinking about Annie. Where the Zuessin' Hades was she? I was snapped out of it as my door closed and Zak was gone. Deciding I could check on Annie later, I slid into a pair of jeans and a pair of converse. Looking back at the clock, it was already eight forty-five, and I still haven't heard from her. I walked out of my room and into Annie's even though I knew we agreed never to wake the other up when we're having a hangover unless it is absolutely necessary.

Through her door, there_ was_ a pink comforter set. There _was_ a pink laptop. There _was_ a picture of how pretty she looked at Mom's wedding. There _was_ a pair of running shoes strewn on the bed. There _was not _an Annie. I admit I started to freak out. My sister is gone. I instantly felt guilty for not going to that party with her. I was just being so selfish wanting to be with Zak. I really don't deserve him. I tried the argument that Annie probably would have and did once ditch me when I needed her so she could be with a boy, but that didn't change anything. It didn't matter what Annie would do because I'm not Annie. I'm the responsible Artemis who should have been looking out for her sister.

I was about to curl up and die when I heard the opening of the doorway.

_**Annie:**_

As I started to wake up, a migraine hit me full force. I was sick to my stomach, and I felt like dying. Immediately, I knew I had been very drunk last night. I was barely wearing anything exposing myself to these slightly scratchy sheets. The last thing I remembered was being at a party last night, and my date left with another girl. I think Marcus was there, and I'm pretty sure we had a drink or something. The migraine hurt too much for me to try to regain my memories. Right then I knew I wasn't going to able to do my morning routine. So, I started to sit up to go get an aspirin or something. It was then that I realized what had happened last night.

A blue room stared back at me with a desk parallel to the bed. Another bed was to my right, and it looked surprisingly familiar. The scratchy sheets turned out to be blue instead of the soft pink I had on my bed. An extreme amount of light was pouring through the navy curtains. I even managed to see my dress and heels cluttered on the floor. It was then that I looked beside me.

That right there deserves its own paragraph. Black curls were pushed on a pillow along with a tan arm. High cheekbones brought out perfectly shaped lips. If the eyes had been open, they would have been a sweet green.

Marcus.

I couldn't breathe. I needed air, and I needed to get away even if it was insanely bright outside. It didn't take much force to urge myself to get up from the bed. I hurried along with slipping into my dress. I'd say I was proud that I didn't make a sound, but considering I wasn't proud of why I had to not make a sound, I won't. Deciding it would make too much noise and would take too long for me to put on my heels, I picked them up and looked back down at the sleeping Marcus. It probably would have felt nice waking up to see him beside me had this not been the circumstances. Part of me wanted to stick around to ask him what actually happened last night, but I don't think I could handle knowing that we did what I think we did. Hopefully, he was as drunk as me last night and won't even remember.

I couldn't stay in there anymore as I knew that wherever Zak was, especially if it was with my sister, he'd be back soon. Barefooted, I started to walk out into the dorm, prepared to go through all the shame I deserved. As it turns out, all these guys are like Arty with not waking up early. I thanked the gods before walked through the hallway until I had finally reached the sidewalk outside. It was bright from being early morning, but not many people were up. Honestly, the people who were up didn't seem to notice the barefoot girl carry her heels in a blue party dress with her straight hair probably all over the place not to mention the smeared make-up. If it had been me, I would be staring.

It was then that it really started to set in. God, I can't believe it. I felt like I had just been taken advantage of, but I still felt like it was really my fault. If I had just left when I started to feel woozy, everything could have been different. I couldn't breathe but somehow managed to keep walking. I needed to talk to Arty. She'd know what to do, and even if she didn't, she could be there for me. I could count on her to bring out the sweets and a sappy romantic comedy. I needed her. She knows me better than anyone in the world.

I held myself together as I climbed the steps to the front door of the dorm. What would I say to her? She was probably worried about me. I would be worried for her, not that this would probably happen to her. I couldn't stop thinking about Joel. It felt like betraying him even if we weren't together, but I had been in love with him. He was my first love. I would have done anything for him. I thought we would be together forever, and this was just like burning all of those feelings I used to feel. It was like throwing away my prom dress or something. I… would have Joel felt the same way I feel if this had been happening to him?

The thought made me more confused than ever. I started to wish for the sweet love Artemis had. She didn't have to worry like this. She had Zak, and there was nothing that he couldn't help her through from what I could tell. It sounded like a day at the spa after the long summer I've had. This used to be fun. I used to love the glares I got from girls when I was with a super-hot guy. I basked in the attention guys gave me. I thrived on the feeling I got when a guy smiled at me, but it just doesn't fill the craving like it used too. It's like listening to Justin Beiber when I could be listening to Cody Simpson. It's being downgraded.

I just don't understand it. I've never wanted to settle down. I've always had Artemis to bring me back to earth, but I had recently found that she couldn't always be there for me. I have been taking Artemis for granted. She can't always cancel everything to brighten my day after a boy problem, and I shouldn't ask her to. As I walked up the stairs to our room, I started to really need coffee and aspirin. What the Hades was I thinking last night? Oh my gods. I am such a little s-

I tried to stop thinking of that as I knew I would start crying, and I don't want to ruin my makeup even more. Anyway, it would ruin my dress, and I really like this dress. It's perfect for me. There is absolutely no way I'm going to get eye shadow and mascara all over it. Pushing open the dorm door, I prepared for Artemis's freaking out. This oughta be fun. What if she called our parents? Oh my gods. Dad would kill me if he found out.

"Annie," Artemis surprised me by running to hug me. Normally, I would have stood there stiffly until Artemis explained why she basically attacked me, but this wasn't a normal thing. So, I clutched my sister almost crying.

"Are you okay? Annie, where were you?" Artemis asked as she released me. I took a deep breath. Here I go.

_**VVVVVVV [See How A Reunion Brought Back More Than Yearbooks for explanation]**_

"You okay, Anne?" Artemis started to mix the extra butter in the popcorn as I turned on Easy A. I had told her everything. Actually, I don't think we've talked that truthfully for a long time. It felt pretty great actually. I don't know why we haven't done this in so long. I missed hearing all of her and Zak's stupid fights about absolutely nothing. It kind of calms my nerves, and, honestly, it proves that I'm not the only crazy one in the group.

"Yeah, I was just thinking. What does it feel like to wake up to Zak?" I asked. Artemis looked at me.

"What?" she looked like she was about to laugh her head off at me. Well, it's a reasonable question considering when I woke up, I started to freak out. You have to give me some credit.

"What does it feel like? I woke up this morning about to have a heart attack. So, I mean, you guys seem so happy when you guys are just in the same room," I asked again. Is it insane that I really want to know? I don't even know what happens next for me. What should I do? I don't even know if I can stand the sight of him, but what if I can? He and Zak are pretty close, and Artemis is friends with him. So, I have to see him eventually, but will it be awkward? I don't even know what I could say to him. I can pretend forever that it never happened, and he may not remember. But one day he will, and I don't know what to do on that day.

"I guess it feels good. I don't really know. I don't exactly think about it," Artemis smiled. I sighed and tried to just watch Easy A. It didn't go too well I'll tell you. I love this movie, but I couldn't concentrate. I needed to swim. I needed to get my mind off of all this, but I was too tired. I needed to sleep for the next week. Maybe by then Marcus will be gone, and I can get a second to breathe.

"Annie, you'll be okay. I'm sure of it. You just need to stop worrying. You and Marcus can work it all out," Artemis tried to comfort me.

"Arty, you don't know that, and I… I'm not sure I want to work this out. Marcus had been making me confused for all this time. Now, I finally have a reason to avoid him. I'll… I'm going to be fine, Artemis," I still felt like I was going to die, but I had to pull off a strong figure. The worst part about this would be the fact that I didn't know if I wanted to be around him anymore. Right now, I do have a real reason. I just don't know if I really want to take it.

**Don't worry this was the only chapter dealing with this subject, but I wanted to have something happen between Annie and Artemis. Now, as Rick Riordan's biggest fan, I have some very interesting things I just found out. Rick's parents were both teachers, but his father was also a potter. He went to college to become a guitarist, but he eventually transferred to major in History and English. In middle school, he saw that he had a talent for writing and started to write short stories. His first publishing was when he had a few of his short stories published in a magazine when he was thirteen. He got the idea for camp half-blood when he worked at a Camp for three years while he was in college, but Percy Jackson was not created until his son, Haley. It took three nights for him to tell the entire story, and Haley urged him to write it down in a book. **

**And five Percy Jackson Books, one Heroes of Olympus, and two Kane Chronicle books later, Rick is currently working on the Son of Neptune, the second installment of Heroes of Olympus which is set to come out in October of 2011. A sneak preview was released, and I will not read it as it would make me impatient and mad. You on the other hand are free to read it. I will put the link up on my profile. All of this information and more can be found on the official site for Rick Riordan. **


	4. Small Beck POV

_**Beck:**_

As I emerged from my bedroom to head off breakfast, I saw the door. Memories stopped me in my tracks. The white door looked the same as mine and my parents, but it wasn't. I had done this a million times, but I had to do it once again. My hand tensed as I opened the silver door knob, and there it was.

The walls were still a pretty purple, but they wouldn't be for long. The cans of pale blue paint awaited my parents to repaint. Part of the paint had already been taken down as tape had been taken off when Artemis took down all of her posters. A bare glass desk now only held a small TV in the corner. The soft grey rug that used to warm my toes was rolled up in the closet. A crème comforter had replaced Artemis's old multicolored striped duvet. A light brown teddy bear sat atop matching pillow cases. The closet door was open to where you could see the contents of empty hangers, a pair of silky PJ's, a small black dress with little wirey decals, a kid sized puffy grey dress, and Artemis's prom dress all in plastic wrap. The white chestier drawers also held clothes Artemis kept incase she was forced to come home or something. The window leading to the fire escape that we used to climb out on was closed tightly. In a few days, everything I used to know this room to be will be gone.

"_Morning, Kiddo," Artemis ruffled my hair as she walked out of her bedroom in her usual grey button-up blouse tucked into a grey plaid skirt with a pair of grey converse as she wasn't allowed to wear combat boots in school again. Her long curls were pulled up in a high ponytail. The room behind her was exactly like I remember. A bunch of pictures of all her friends and so were hanging on the wall along with a bunch of posters. Artemis's comforter was neatly hanging on the bed along with a bunch of books. _

"Beckendorf, get down here. We'll be late!" Mom yelled. I shouldered my blue backpack and ran down stairs. Dad seemed to have already left for work, and Mom was dressed for work. Her long blonde hair was down and looking particularly 'Taylor Swifty'. She finished buttoning up her black blazer that matched her black slacks before she looked at me.

"We're late, Sweetie. Come on," Mom rushed me out the door.

**XXXXXXX**

"Hey, Beck," Kat smiled. I smiled, too, and I tried not to notice as her cheeks turned a cute shade of red. Her brown hair had been curled to have ringlets that reminded me of my mom's hair this morning.

"Morning, Kat," I sat down in the desk next to her. I looked down at the drawing she continued to doodle in her black notebook. It took me a second, but I realized she was drawing the aquarium in the classroom.

"Wow, you're a really good drawer," I smiled. Katrina just blushed again and mumbled a 'Not really'.

**I know it is short, but I realized I forgot to write in Beck's POV. Also, I have a bit of writers block with this. It'll be a while until I update. Sorry. **


	5. Chapter 5

_**Artemis:**_

"Arty!" a gentle voice somehow managed to penetrate my deep sleep. I felt something shaking me, probably to wake me up. I tightly shut my eyes, thinking the sun was about to shine into my eyes, but it didn't happen. The warmth didn't blanket my skin. It was then that I realized something was going on. Forcing my eyes open, I started to wake up. The first thing I saw was Zak, trying to wake me up. Around him, it was dark like a pitch black night. I looked beside me at my alarm clock. Four AM.

"Zak, what is it?" I foggily asked. My body begged to restore its once peaceful sleep, and it took all my will power not to give in.

"Joel's here."

**XXXXXXXX**

Hearing that my sister's ex-boyfriend was here woke me up better than coffee and Red Bull combined. I had spent the last ten minutes hearing Zak's description of what happened. Apparently, the son of Hermes wasn't as safe as he thought he was. We don't know how yet, as he hasn't woken up to tell us everything, but from the looks of the initial wounds he was attacked by a Hellhound. Zak contacted camp to find out if they knew anything, and Joel had been appointed a quest. The quest led him as far as to Washington. His quest-members, seventeen year old power couple, Holly and George, are nowhere to be found. Zak found him when he was out picking up orange juice. I have no idea why Zak was shopping for orange juice at four in the morning, but he was. He helped fight off the Hellhound, and Joel passed out right after the thing died. Again, I have no idea how he got Joel up all of those stairs to get here or why he brought him here in the first place, but he did. Annie was getting up for a glass of water and almost had a heart attack when she saw Joel unconscious on the couch, sending a glass into shatters. I don't blame her. I would have done the same. I sent her to bed, saying I'd tell her everything in the morning. Still slightly hyperventilating, she did as I requested. Zak was tired. So, I sent him to bed as well, saying I'd wake him up to watch him in two hours.

I looked at Joel. I hadn't seen him since our senior prom. He had grown what looked like an inch or so. His brown curls had grown about the same and fell in his eyes. His brown eyes were closed in slumber. He was wearing ripped up jeans, a blue tee shirt, a brown hoodie, and a necklace he picked out with Annie. They had bought matching ones. The necklaces became good luck charms to both of them. Annie left hers in her bedroom in New York. He still wore his apparently even though she dumped him months ago.

"Does she love him?" Joel's voice was horse, but he managed to say it. I looked down at him in astonishment. Well, at least I didn't start ranting about something or another and he heard me.

"Does who love who?" I asked, still surprised at how fast he woke up

"I've been talking to Zak this entire time. One we've been talking for an hour, nothing is off limits. I know everything that's happened since you got here," Joel smiled.

"Everything?" I asked, hoping he was just over exaggerating.

"Everything. I even know that Nikki was mean to your roommate so that she had to move out with two girls that she's joining a sorority with," Joel shrugged, but stopped from the pain of doing so. I almost blushed. We had started classes today, and my roommate moved out yesterday. It wasn't exactly something I'm proud or happy to say, but it did happen. We won't be getting a new roommate. So, from now on, its me and Annie with an extra room. Nikki offered to move in with us, but I cant imagine how much redecorating I would be looking at if she did so. So, Megan's room has been untouched since she left. I haven't talked to her since she moved out. She was a sweet girl, but she associated me with Nikki. The relationship just went downhill from there. The place is much too big now. It reminds me of the first apartment I lived in. My mom was living in a three bedroom about this size when I was born. My Uncle Malcolm and Aunt Mia used to come over to watch me all the time to help my mom out. When Malcolm was out of town on one of his many meetings for the company that he went to because my mom couldn't just leave me alone to go, Mia used to stay in the other room. My grandfather used to do the same. When I was five years old, my mom and I moved to a large loft that was closer to both my school and my mom's work. Seven years later, we moved in with Percy. I still wonder who moved into the first apartment. I still think about if someone painted over the little stickers I pinned on the closet door or if they found where I had doodled my initials into the corner behind my bed.

"Perfect," I mumbled, "Okay, but does who love who?"

"Does Annie love Marcus?" the question seemed to pain him as he asked. I didn't blame him. If I had asked if Zak loved someone else, I would have felt like a hydra was burning me alive. I knew that whatever I was about to tell him wasn't going to help the pain. So, I might as well tell him the honest to god truth.

"I don't know. I suppose that…-" I cut myself off and began in a new direction, "She had a crush on him, and she got scared from that because she still wants to be in love with you. Marcus likes her a lot, from what I can tell, and she pretends she doesn't like him," I began.

"Like she used to do with me," Joel's voice was small and heartbroken, like the wound from her leaving him had just been reopened. I've never seen his brown eyes so sad. I mean, they've always had that cute puppy-dog look about them, but this time he looked completely crushed, like he just watched Annie marry Marcus, not just have a crush on him.

"Yeah, I guess," I looked down at my grey pjs and felt a slight tension enter the room. That's when I looked up again.

"You do know he hasn't won yet. You could still fight for her," I let out a weak smile. The look in his eyes told me that the thought had occurred to him, but he just didn't know just how'd that work. If he did and lost, he would lose every bit of at least a friendship with Annie. If he did and won, he'd get her. It was a risk-it-all kind of move. It was one that evil twit Marnie tried years ago, and she lost. She lost everything.

"If you really love her, you'd at least try," I told him. He looked at me like he couldn't believe what I just said. I didn't believe it either, but it escaped my lips, now didn't it? I should have felt some guilt, but I was right. If he did love her, he'd try. I'm just telling him the truth. Why feel guilty about that?

"Yeah," Joel didn't seem to know what to say. His voice was distant as if he were really thinking it all over. Did he love my sister?

Even more important:

Does she still love him?

**I know it totally sucks, but I had this in my head before writer's block got the best of me. Now, do you like Marcus or do you think she should end up with Joel? I really don't know which one I should chose for her. I'm going to try to get back into this and I promise that there will be longer chapters**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Annie: **_

I felt the burn in my abs as I finished my final stretch. Yesterday was my resting day. Well, it wasn't the exact resting day my coach wanted, but I didn't do as much as I usually would have on a normal day. So, that's resting for me. I 'mmm'ed from knowing I finished and picked up the bottle of strawberry Gatorade from my bedside table, taking a long swig until I could barely breathe.

"Knock knock," Artemis called from my bedroom door. Sure, our old roommate moved out, being scared to death of Nikki, but we were still here. From what Nikki says, she's going to make us move in with her into an apartment next year, as she hadn't gotten lucky to get the suite but had gotten a two bed room, getting one little cube to herself. She would probably force us to do it now, but her dad told her he would pay for her apartment if she got good grades and got two roommates. The roommates part was easy, but right now, she was cutting down on partying and marking up on studying. It's actually kind of hard to watch her study. I mean, picture a freckle-faced, pink-haired petite girl sitting cross-legged in something crazy, like a tutu or something, biting a random color highlighter high lighter. I mean, you should really see it.

"Come on in," I called out, walking over to my closet to change into something other than a sweat drenched pair of black running shorts and sports bra. This morning I overslept more than I should have meaning I had to wait to finish my exercises after classes and, by the order of Arty, after my homework. I hadn't been sleeping well since Joel was down here. UCLA was dealing with an earthquake, meaning he was currently bunking with Zak and Marcus for the next week. He keeps trying to talk to me, making me work my hardest until my day went like 'Wake up. Train. Go to class. Do work. Train. Go for a long swim (for fun this time). Come home. Eat. Sleep. Start all over.' The only person I've seen in the last few days has been my step-sister (well, technically we were adopted to be complete sisters), Artemis.

Artemis gently pushed the door open, and I couldn't help but look back over at her. She looked shy, which didn't seem normal. Her blonde curls were let down, reminding me of Annabeth. Her grey eyes were nervous, but they still had that happy gleam I had seen her have since we were fifteen and she had Zak had finally hooked up. Even if he wasn't with her, it was like the possibility made her shine brighter than Apollo in the morning sky. Her outfit definitely reminded me of her mom. She was wearing a pair of grey sweat pants that I couldn't have pulled off even once in my life. A tight 'American University' tee shirt hugged her body like a supportive hug from my old best friend, Felicia, during the 'Boyfriend Support Group Session' held every Friday to complain or brag that we used to have in High School, which felt like a lifetime ago.

"Annie, I kind of need to talk to you about-" Annie started off in a serious manner, and I knew I wasn't going to like it, which meant it had to do with either Joel or Marcus. I shifted uncomfortably, wanting desperately to ditch to the bathroom so that I could change, but I don't think Artemis noticed, nor cared since I had already ditched like ten times.

"Artemis? Annie? Where are you? Get your skinny butts out here?" Nikki screamed at the top of her lungs until I thought at I wanted to scream at her just to shut up. A few moments later a short freshman was standing in my door way, her face excited as if she had just been told that it was legal to drink at eighteen. I have to admit, the image in front of me was pretty funny. Her hair was still a bubble-gum pink, but the rest of her looked almost normal. She was wearing a pair of black jeans, a top with 'I Dream of a Better Day… Where Chickens Can Cross the Road Without Their Motives Being Questioned' printed in bold letters with a cartoon chicken at the bottom, and a pair of combat boots to match said orange shirt. Her natural pink lips had been glossed until it looks completely fake. Her emerald eyes were shining brighter than the strobe lights at prom that gave me a migraine before getting totally dumped.

Something within me ached as I thought about Prom. Artemis could look back at it with a smile because she remembers being held tightly in Zak's arms, making a bunch of girls boil, and listening as Zak made some of his last jokes making fun of school and some of the brats that went there. Nikki remembers being there with the hottest guy, tearing up the dance-floor, drinking spiked punch, and getting covered in glitter.

And I remember crying. I remember sitting in the bathroom, bawling my eyes out, and only able to think about how he was the first guy I really fell for. Joel was the first boy to make my heart swell and head bang and still be able to smile like an idiot. And right there, in the gym where we had gone together since fifth grade, we got in a fight, screaming until we felt like crying. Right there, with the entire student body to hear, he broke up with me.

I just can't seem to forget it, though I really want to. He just hurt me so much, and I want to forgive him. But I can't.

"What?" Artemis asked, rubbing her temples like she was getting a migraine.

"Thanks for calling me skinny," I smiled just to annoy Artemis, which I did successfully, and Nikki rolled her emerald eyes.

_I looked down at the ring in disbelief one more time. Both Artemis and I were naming off how my father should propose to her mother, and it was fun. But, it still surprised me. I've always been close with my dad. I know he loves me and is happy with me, but I know he could be happier. I also know he would be happiest with Annabeth. The last time I saw my mother, I was four years old, and that was it. I haven't seen her since, and I completely understand that my parents will never be together. I've been trying to get my father with a good woman for years, but… I still want _my _mom. Annabeth is amazing, and she may become like a mother, but she isn't my mother. _

_But my dad is proposing to her, and I know she loves him. So, she'll say yes, and I'll have a step mother soon enough. I guess Annabeth would be the best step mother if I had to get one, but who wants a step mother? Artemis didn't seem to be thinking of that beside me. Instead, she seemed to just be talking to my father, her soon-to-be step-father. Wait, I do get Artemis as a sister, which will be great. _

_But, again, my dad's getting married. I've always been 'Daddy's Girl'? Now, I'm not only getting Annabeth as competition but Artemis as well. _

I snapped out of thinking of how Nikki's eyes were the exact same color as the engagement ring my dad gave Annabeth to whatever she was saying.

"I got scores for my first big test, and they're basically perfect. We have to celebrate," Nikki smiled, and both Art and I told her how proud we were and et cetera.

"Do you promise to come with me tonight to a Frat Party?" Nikki asked hopefully, and I took a second before answering. Since when did Nikki go to Frat Parties? She's always gotten a fake ID to sneak into some club. Something is up, and if she is making us promise, it isn't something good.

"Um, I guess," Artemis shrugged uncomfortably as if she too were afraid of whatever catch Nikki was going to throw at us, and Nikki focused her attention on me, as if mentally forcing me to say yes.

"Well, sure," I wrapped my arms around my bare stomach, and Nikki took a deep breath to tell us what we were afraid to here.

"Good, because I want _all _of us to go," Nikki smiled widely, and whatever smile Artemis had fell immediately.

" What does 'All of Us' mean?"

"I want Marcus, Zak, and Joel to come, too," Nikki told us, like it wasn't that bad, but it was awful. Marcus and Joel together? With me? No, I cant handle that. I mean, it's the guy I got drunk and hooked up with along with the guy who broke my heart at _prom_. That's just asking for trouble. I couldn't handle it. I just couldn't.

"No, not them. Can't we just go have a girls night, without my love triangle, please?" I pleaded, wanting to cry.

"I barely party, but Zak doesn't at all. You know how close he was to becoming an alcoholic. I'm not putting him around beer everywhere. No," Artemis protested as well.

"But, please? You know how hard I worked for that test, and Joel wasn't just your friend and your ex. He was my friend, too. He taught me how to ride a skateboard, and he is going home soon. This could be the last time it's the five of us, and, Annie, you love Marcus. You can't go counting him out because you really like him. And Zak has gotten so much better. I have faith in him, and you can even make sure he's okay, Art.

"But just please, let me have this," Nikki looked at us like we were her parents and she was trying to convince us to let her go to Julliard and become a musician instead of going to a good school and getting a stable job.

I looked at Artemis, and I knew she was about to cave. Art could definitely take care of Zak, and I also knew she had been dying to get some time with him alone since Joel showed up and they had been trying to make sure everything didn't go up in smoke. If she was making sure he didn't drink, that would be a lot of time with him.

But my situation didn't work out like that.

Instead, I got Joel, the boy who broke my heart and came back a few months later trying his hardest to get me back, making everything -which was hard enough at the time- a total mess. Then there's Marcus. Perfect, perfect Marcus who only brought trouble by making me fall for him and is now trying to get me to let myself fall for him instead of trying to stop it, like I currently was. I would be stuck with Joel trying to win me back, Marcus trying to win me as well, and Nikki off somewhere getting some hot guy's phone number or something.

I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like what I had hoped my Friday night to be like.

"I don't know how Zak will feel, but I'm in," Artemis smiled for the first time all day, and Nikki smiled her wide, wild smile as well. Both girls looked at me, and I knew I had to say yes. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?

"Alright, fine," I huffed, knowing tonight would be torture.

_**Artemis:**_

"Why do we have to do this again?" Zak complained once more as he idly flipped through the senior yearbook I had on my desk. Annie had been on the yearbook committee, and they had a lot of trouble hurrying the pictures from Prom it. But they all looked good. I don't know why I wanted to see them, but I did earlier. Zak smirked as he saw the picture of Nikki winning Prom Queen. She hadnt thought she would win. She kind of ran as a joke, but, with how she was dating the hottest guy in school, Gabe, is obviously awesome, and looked great in her dress, she won by a landslide. Zak and I still enjoy to tease her about it.

"We are doing this because Nikki wants us to," I smiled as I turned back to the jewelry box on my desk.

When I was thirteen, Mom took Annie and me to a small little antique shop like a week before the wedding. With all the stress of the wedding, Mom wanted us to calm down a little bit. So, she took us there, and Annie bought a pair of shoes that looked like they were from the sixties, and I found a pretty little box from the twenties. Annie lost the shoes about two days later, but I never lost the box. Right after the wedding, my dad came to see me, and he gave me this bracelet with the name 'Artemis' in cursive hanging from it. I was always so scared that I would lose one of the only thing my father gave me that I put it in the box, which it has never left. I always made it a priority to make sure I didn't lose the jewelry box, which was something Beck used to always ask me about. Because he's being raised where his father is always around, he doesn't understand how I make sure anything my father gives me is kept safe. Whenever I tried to tell him that, he didn't understand. So, one day, I told him that I kept fears and nightmares in there. Even the night before I left, he came in my room at midnight to put the nightmare he had just had in the jewelry box.

I was snapped out of thinking of the jewelry box to feel the snap of the clasp of my necklace hurt my index finger. I mumbled an 'Ow' and put my finger to my mouth.

"Zak, I can't get this clasp right. Can you get it on for me?" I asked, and Zak took a breath of relief from not having to keep looking through our senior year book. I could see Zak come behind me in the mirror, and he smiled when I handed him the necklace he gave me when we were fifteen. There had barely been a moment when I wasn't wearing the necklace.

Zak closed the little clasp thing around my neck, making me shiver from the sudden coldness from the necklace. I had always loved the necklace, even when it was technically his until we were fifteen. If there was anything I loved more than the necklace itself, it was how Zak smiled whenever he saw me wearing it. Zak's soft lips kissed my neck, and his muscled from years of training arms wrapped around my waist.

"Do we really have to go tonight?" Zak whispered in my ear, making me shiver again but for an entirely different reason this time. I really wanted to just say that I say we felt sick and skip it tonight, but I knew not to.

"Zachary Black, yes, we do," I squeezed his hand, and he sighed, kissing my neck once more before letting go of me and returning to the yearbook he had been reading earlier, probably going to mark out his picture with a Sharpie. Personally, I thought he looked cute in his picture, but he hated it.

"Come on. We have to get going before Joel figures out that Marcus is the guy Annie has a huge crush on and someone gets hurt," I grabbed my cell phone and my jacket before opening the door.

Outside the door, Annie looked adorable. She was wearing the same black minidress she was wearing when she went on that date with that loser Joshua. She had spent about an hour curling her straight hair into where it cascaded down her back, and her heels looked like a deathtrap, just waiting for you to trip and fall on a brick or something headfirst. I looked completely different. The only thing that was even close to being the same in our outfits was the fact that we were both wearing black heels. Everything else was different. While she was wearing a dress, I was wearing black skinny jeans and a purple ruffle top underneath a leather, bomber jacket. We looked utterly and completely different in every way. I looked like my Mom, and she looks like her mother. She used to be the spitting image of her father, but, as she has grown up, she looks more and more like her mom. It's easy to see that we're step-sisters and not full-blood, or even half-blood.

"I hate this," Annie pouted with her arms crossed.

"Thank God, someone who thinks like I do," Zak smirked as he walked through the door behind me.

"You think I want to do this? But _I'm_ going to, and so are _you_," I grabbed my keys from the countertop, and Annie sighed involuntarily. She looked like someone had just told her that she had just been kicked off the swimming team, losing her passion and her scholarship to AU, which seemed like an exaggeration to me. We've had to do much worse than this. Like, when our baby brother was being born, we were stuck at Uncle Malcolm's for the night, without Aunt Mia, having to help him with two toddlers. Then, while Dad was proposing to Annabeth, we were also at Uncle Malcolm's. While I was having my appendix out, Annie was at home taking care of Percy because he had a cold and making sure little Beck didn't get sick, too. I think she can handle going to a party with two boys who she swears up and down she hates while she really loves them. How hard could it really be?

"Where's Nikki?" Annie complained once more, plopping down on the sofa.

"Joel was teaching Marcus how to skate, and Nikki had to go pick them up," Zak shrugged as he sat at the chair near to the sofa.

"Joel and Marcus are together?" Annie panicked, and she started breathing loudly as if she was trying to warn us that she was about to pass out.

"Andromeda Jackson, calm down. Joel's been staying with them for the last five days. I think you need to accept that there are moments where they are alone," I smirked, checking my Droid. The page where I had to slide the unlock key was a picture of Beck, Zak, and me. I had always been close to Beck, and Zak had as well. It's always been weird. We both just love him so much that it's almost like Beck is our son, not my brother. People used to think that until they saw how much Beck looked like Percy. Then, they just kinda knew that Percy was his father, not Zak. Zak and I were always the ones who grew up before we should have. By the time we were fourteen, we were basically twenty. Beck seemed to notice that, too. Annie was always a sister to him, and Joel was simply Annie's boyfriend. But I was like a second mom to him, and Zak was like the older brother he always wanted. I'd be lying if I said that didn't worry me sometimes, especially when I got the acceptance letter to AU. It wasn't that he needed me, but it was that_ I_ needed _him_.

I ignored the photo and slid the phone unlocked. It went straight to the main screen, showing me my speed-dial, a green sticky note app telling me my TO-DO list, and a few little apps. The first person I saw on speed dial was my mom, smiling into the photo looking much younger than her actual age. The one beside it was Percy with a picture of him reading a story to Beck. The third had the picture of Zak and me at graduation that my mom took and that Zak had changed to his contact picture one day. I hadn't changed it since. The final was of Annie, smiling at Camp in front of the Hecate cabin that she was now the leader of. Nikki had been insulted that she wasn't on one of the four speed-dial list icons where all I had to do was press it to call them, but I had pointed out that she always called me, not the other way around, winning me the argument.

It was pretty tempting to call my mom and see how everything was going. I had talked to her yesterday, but, with how crazy Avery and Charlie can be and how Beck is head over heels for Katrina, you never know what could have changed by now. I wanted to know how Aunt Mia and Uncle Malcolm were faring with their six year old twins, Charlie and Avery. I also wanted to know how the cutie, Katrina, was doing. I even wanted to know if they had seen their neighbor on the floor below, Joshua, who cheated on his girlfriend with Annie without her knowing. I even wanted to know if Zak's mom's boyfriend had proposed. Before we left for school, he asked Zak if he could propose to her, and, while he had said yes, Zak hadn't wanted to talk about it since it happened. He loves his mom, and he was always protective of her. His mom, Martha, had dated, but she had never married. She always said that she loved Zak's father, Hades, and that she loved her son so much that there wasn't much to give to another man. She had dated this guy, Dave, for about four years now, and she seemed to love him. He has a daughter, Cali, who is fourteen, and she gave her approval immediately, unlike Zak. The only thing I knew about the proposal was when Zak warned me that Thanksgiving would be crowded because he was going to both Dave's side and his side to tell everyone about how they were getting married. I had offered for him to just come with me, but he said that his mom would want him with her now that he was in DC. That was all I had been told about it, and that was a long time ago.

Annie fidgeted on the sofa, and she just stood up once more. Her mouth was moving, letting me now she was talking, but I wasn't really listening. I knew it would be about Marcus and Joel, and that subject was starting to get bitter. We can all tell she loves them both, but she wont admit it. She just says that she wants someone who doesn't make her want to scream like they do, but not one of us buys that. Why should we? We've known her since we were eleven, and we know when she likes a guy and when she doesn't.

"Open up!" Nikki called from the front door.

"Couldn't you just be nice about it?" a voice, Marcus I think, complained to her, and I knew she was rolling her eyes.

"I wouldn't have to be mean about it if you hadn't kept falling off a skateboard like a baby," Nikki smirked, letting me know it was definitely Marcus. For the last two weeks, they've been at each other's throats for some weird reason. Zak thinks it's because Nikki is a little upset that she gave up her crush on Marcus so Annie could have him and he keeps screwing it up, but it felt like it wasn't her being mad about Annie. There was something more there, but I just didn't know what it was.

I opened the front door before they could say any more about it. The three stood there, Nikki and Marcus looking at each other like they were moments from screaming at each other, and Joel looked at me with relief.

"Thank God. They've been doing that for the last twenty minutes," Joel sighed, and I moved so the three could walk in. Joel walked in without really thinking, but Nikki looked at Marcus with a 'I still hate you' look before walking in. Marcus shook his head, almost snarling, as he walked in.

"Hey, Art," he regarded me with a smile, but it fell when he looked back at Nikki when he almost snarled again.

Joel tried to smile at Annie, but she looked away immediately to stare at her pedicure. Zak hit his head against the back of the chair when he saw that. Marcus was too busy exchanging death glares with Nikki to notice it, and Annie forced her eyes there.

Great, even she knew something was up with them, and she was the one who was going crazy here.

"So, _Nikki_, where_ are_ we going?" Marcus asked as if he was bored out his mind to annoy Nikki. She clutched her fingers into her palm like she was stopping herself from strangling him.

"_We_ are going to the party. Now, if you want to be part of _we_, _you_ better shut up," Nikki almost growled, and I stifled a laugh. It was almost funny to see a girl with pink hair growl. She was wearing a 'New York Does It Better' dress that looked more like a long shirt than a dress. She was wearing a pair of knee-high black converse to match the dress which was black as well with the words printed in 'kidnap' letters with the weird magazine things or whatever.

I raised an eyebrow at Zak as if to ask what happened to them, but he shrugged. No one seemed to know, not even Joel. For the last few days, Zak and I have been trying to get Annie to at least talk to him, leaving him to spend his time with Marcus and Nikki.

Marcus's mouth opened to say something, but Zak cut in.

"Are we ready to go?" Zak asked in a mock chipper voice. Nikki smiled at Zak and nodded a yes. Zak got up from his seat, and we all started to leave. As Nikki scowled at Marcus and Annie tried to speedwalk unsuccessfully, as she was in heels, away from Joel so he wouldn't say anything, I knew tonight was going to be a long night.

_**Alright, well, this was setting up for the next chapter where Annie finally talks to Joel, and why do you think Nikki and Marcus are being so bad? Keep reading to find out. :)**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Artemis:**_

"Can we sneak home now?" Zak whispered in my ear, and it took all of my will power not to growl. During the car ride, Annie wouldn't shut up about how she would pay me twenty bucks if I turned the car around and went back to the dorm. Zak was okay on the ride, but the moment Nikki saw we were here, he wanted to go.

"No, Zak."

"But we did what she wanted. We came. Why can't we go?" he whispered once more as I started to walk back into the messy Frat house. Earlier, I got a call from my mom, and, as I wanted to know how Beck was, I had to go outside to answer it. Zak took that time to beg me once more to leave.

When I walked inside, I wanted to cringe.

Everywhere you looked, someone was drunk, and it was only the begging of the party. In some parts, people were so packed that you could barely move, but there were also places where only a few people stood. The music was pounding until I swear the floor was shaking.

And everyone was loving it, especially Nikki who had already found a super-hot football player for herself. Annie, on the other hand, was downing a drink every few seconds and trying her hardest to dodge either Joel or Marcus. Marcus kept looking at either Annie or Nikki, but Joel kept his eyes on Annie. He made it less obvious by talking to people at the party and seemingly having fun, but his eyes gave it all away.

And here Zak and I stood.

It was pretty tempting to go back to the dorm. When I was little, I always said I'd go to college single because that was how it was meant to be enjoyed, but I couldn't get myself to leave Zak, especially when he got in to AU with me. I never want to lose him, and I had to give up some things for that. I missed over half of the parties last year, not that I probably would have gone if I had been single. There were countless dances we didn't go to. In high school, it felt weird being the couple we are, but it's not at all like that at Camp. In high school, everyone thought we would break up any day now, but, at camp, everyone just looked at Percy and Annabeth and say 'Why not?'. It's so much better there because we're not the only ones. There are only about three couples left like us there because of break-ups due to college or things like that, but we're still not the only ones. I had hoped College would be like that, which it is sort of. But there are moments, like this, were you feel like you're about to hear someone whisper 'They'll break up any day now'

"You okay, Artemis?" Zak asked, breaking me out of a trance. I took a second to reassess where I was and nodded at him.

"Yeah, just looking for Nikki," I lied like she hadn't been the easiest person to spot in the room. I mean, what do you expect from a girl with _pink_ hair?

"So, what happened with her and Marcus?" I asked him after a few moments of silence from the guy who wouldn't shut up a minute ago.

"I don't know. They were never close or anything, but, one day, they just couldn't stand the sight of each other," Zak shrugged, and I knew it didn't happen like that. In Zak's mind, it would make since that they just grew apart or something, but that doesn't happen with Nikki. She doesn't just start screaming at a guy. Something definitely happened between them, and I want to know what.

_**Annie:**_

_**An hour later:**_

I looked around the room again. A few of the old faces had left with someone, but a bunch of new people were here, too. Artty and Zak left fifteen minutes ago, almost sneaking out the door so Nikki wouldn't see, not that she could. At the time, she was making out with some football player that she ditched about ten minutes ago for unknown reasons. Marcus was talking to some girl, just out the corner of my eye, and Joel was who-knows-where. All I knew was that, I was a little drunk, tired, and alone. I would have traded anything to be Art at this point. It was like our lives reversed.

I was always the one who had a guy, and I was the happiest out of the two of us. She was always the one who went to parties with her friends and left without the buzz of having a good time. Now, she was the one happiest, with a guy I might add, and I was leaving with a frown on my face.

As if she knew I was about to leave, Nikki made her way to me through the crowd. She looked a little bit different from when we left, but not by much. Her dull, pink lips formed in a comical frown, but her green eyes still held the party-fun atmosphere around her. Instead of Chanel #5, she reeked of alcohol.

"Cheer up, Annie," she drunkenly grinned, but she didn't slur, telling me she wasn't that drunk-_yet_. She hasn't gone to a party in weeks. She'll probably go all out.

"I think I'm going to go, okay, Nikki?" I smiled as if I were completely sober, which I definitely wasn't. She shook her head, making her hair shake a little bit.

"Annie, you can't go," Nikki begged, pulling on my arm. As she did so, the right shoulder on her black 'New York Does It Better' dress started to slip a little bit, revealing a black mini dress underneath. She always wore one so she won't have a wardrobe malfunction.

I was about to tell her I'd call her tomorrow, but I saw two familiar faces working their way towards me. I knew I was pretty close to the drink table. So, it wasn't that shocking, but I could tell by the look in both of their eyes that they weren't going there. They were coming to me.

Marcus and Joel.

My breathing labored, and my face paled. It snapped me out of my drunken haze, but I still couldn't think.

"Hey, Nikki," Joel smiled to Nikki, and she smiled, too.

"Eww, it's Marcus," Nikki groaned, and Joel smirked a little bit, making me glare at him. Joel looked into my eyes with a 'You know it's true' glance, and it made me shiver. It reminded me of old times where he could look at him which made me want to smile.

Every single time, I smiled at it, until now. For the first time, I'm not shaking my head with a smile. It feels so weird. I wanted to do as I always did, but I couldn't.

"Someone's drunk tonight," Marcus smirked, and Joel rolled his eyes at the lame comeback. I wanted to glare at Joel, but he was right.

"Oh, then you should go, Marcus. Don't want you out when you're drunk. I'll call the cab," Nikki playfully nudged him, and Marcus scowled. Joel looked at Nikki as if they were having a silent conversation. She looked between Joel and I, and I knew what was about to happen. I didn't know if I liked it.

"Marcus," she smiled, pretending to be even more drunk than she really was, "Wanna dance?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Marcus looked at her like she was being ridiculous, and she just cocked her eyebrow at him like she wanted to laugh.

"If you think you can't keep up, I'll just go find someone better," Nikki smiled, knowing this would work, and she was about to walk away when he spoke up.

"Fine," Marcus sighed, and Nikki took his hand and led him to the dance floor, leaving me and Joel alone.

I looked nervously at him, not knowing what to say. Instead, I nervously tugged at the bottom of my dress. Joel watched me, not really knowing what to say either.

"Um… I need to get going. Artemis will get upset if I'm too late again," I nervously told him, hoping to high tail it out of there at that moment. Joel almost laughed.

"I highly doubt your sister wants you to come in when she's with her boyfriend alone," he tried to smirk, but it was too dry. I couldn't help but smile, even though it totally wasn't the time.

"I guess," I nodded sheepishly.

"We really need to talk, Annie," his chocolate colored eyes looked into mine, and I knew I was going to talk to him, even if I didn't want to.

"Yeah, we do," I nodded, and he looked around the party to see that it really wasn't the place to talk, even if a slow song was playing. I nodded towards the door, and Joel nodded.

_To Be Continued…_

_**Nikki:**_

I couldn't really think straight, but I could definitely tell that Marcus is holding me in his arms. It had felt awkward at first, but we were supposed to look awkward. That was the point, but, now, his grasp felt like the most natural thing in the world. It felt like a relief when I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes.

"So, you're good at getting what you want, huh?" he smirked, but I didn't open my eyes. I just let him lead me in the stupid slow dance.

Yeah, as if. There's one thing I want, and it's the one thing I cant get.

"You really like Annie, huh?" I only focused on what I had asked and how close he was holding me. He tightened his grip on me, and I wanted to hate him. I wanted to mean it when I screamed at him, but I just couldn't.

I didn't know if he meant it. I did it as an act, to make Annie think I'm not head over heels for him as she already called bibs, and there are times where he joins in for fun of it. But, I just don't know. Does he really hate me? I don't hate him. I can't. And I don't think I could handle it if he _did_ hate me.

"I guess I do… why do you ask?"

I shrugged, making him stir a little bit.

"I guess, I ask because I can," I pushed my head a little deeper into his chest, wanting to cry into it. In the end, I usually get want I want. I know how that sounds, but that isn't what I mean.

I guess what I mean is that I just… I strive to get want I really want, and I can't get him. Annie is my best friend, and she wants him. I mean, before I could object to her dibs, she slept with him! Even worse, he wants her, and there isn't a thing I can do about that. I just have to stand here and pretend I don't want to scream.

"So, what do you think I should do about that?" Marcus asked, completely oblivious to how I was dying in his arms.

"You should tell her," my voice sounded distant, and I felt like a balloon, full of life on the outside and empty on the inside.

"Yeah, I should, shouldn't I?" Marcus smiled, making me want to pass out. I took a deep breath and nodded, acknowledging that the song was ending which meant he was going to let me go.

"I…" I was about to say that _I _liked him, but I stopped myself, "I don't hate you, Marcus, and I hope you don't me either."

"I…" Marcus stopped himself, and it made me hopeful he would say that he liked me, but I will never know what he was going to say, "I definitely don't hate you, Nikki. I've been just been a little-"

It was then that we noticed that the song had ended and had been replaced by 'Just Dance' by Lady GaGa. But, I could feel a reluctance in his arms to let me go. It fueled me with hope, but I reminded myself of how we had been talking about his crush on _Annie_, not me.

"I better get going, Marcus. My dorm is only a few hundred yards from here," I smiled, pretending I wasn't going to cry the entire walk back and all night in my room. He nodded, with an unidentified look in his eyes.

"Uh, yeah, I'll see you… later," he didn't know what to say, and neither did I. I knew it would probably end up awkward, but I got on my tippy-toes to hug him. I shut my eyes so tight that I saw those weird little sparkle things. Then, I realized I had to let go and opened my eyes.

"Well…good luck with…Annie. I wish you two the best," I lied, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Thanks, Nikki," he smiled.

I nodded and turned away to leave. For the rest of the walk home, I could barely see through blurry tears. I'll never have him. I mean, I was in his Zuessin' arms, and he asked me what he should do about _Annie_.

_**Annie:**_

_Continued:_

The night air would have been delightful, but I was too nervous to notice it all. I felt like I was about to trip in my high heels, but it had absolutely nothing to do with how many drinks I had. I didn't know if Joel was sober at this point, but he definitely was serious about this.

On the front porch of the Frat house had been littered with people who were smoking, getting sick from too many drinks, or making out from some random person. It was quick to see that it wasn't the perfect place to talk. So, we just kept walking and walking until we reached a park within the campus. The only lights around us were little light poles** (A/N: Correct word, right?)** sitting beside benches throughout the park, leaving us to

So, we ended up sitting by the first dimly lit bench we could find, and here we both sat, me trying to keep myself as far away from him as the bench would allow. It didn't take a genius to know that he noticed I was doing so. A year ago, this bench would be way too big for us, and, now, it was a miracle I wasn't asking to just sit on the grass. I started to miss my dad more than ever, and I wished I could have asked Annabeth what to do. But, I couldn't. Instead, I sat there with him looking at me.

"So, where do we start?" my voice didn't mean to be dry, but I couldn't help it. It was either that or it could sound as pained as I was, which wasn't a much of a step-up.

Joel was left speechless beside me, and I didn't blame him. I had no idea what to say, but I knew I had to say something. Otherwise, we'd be sitting here until dawn.

"Why'd you dump me?"

Joel was caught even more off guard.

"I don't know. I wasn't really thinking," I could tell he was lying. So, I just glared at him until he kept going, "Fine, I got my acceptance letter to UCLA, and I was scared, okay?"

It made sense, but it didn't excuse it one bit.

"_At prom_? It had to be _at prom_?" I tried to scream, but it proved pretty hard to do.

"I didn't plan it! It just sort of happened, and that happened to be _at prom_!" he whisper-yelled, trying not to ruin the peaceful moment around us, but it was already shattered.

"You broke up with me in the middle of the dance floor!" I shrieked. I didn't know I had wanted to scream at him, but, now that this was getting off my chest, it was feeling a million times better.

"If you wanted me back, you could have told me. But, no, you told me goodbye- leaving me in the middle of the freakin' hall way, I might add- and feel for Marcus like a minute after we broke up!" Joel yelled.

"_You_ dumped _me,_ not the other way around. I probably would have tried to make everything work between the two of us until I realized that it wouldn't work, and you obviously didn't want it to work!"

"Yeah, well, I didn't know you were going to go sleeping with a guy right after we broke up!"

Now, that one hurt, and I really didn't want to know who told him. He was right to be upset about how long we had been together-about a year- and that I just suddenly forgot about it and slept with Marcus, but that wasn't how it went. I got drunk, and Marcus was the closet person to me. Joel may never see it like that, but I also don't think he wants to.

"Well then. I'm sorry that after being dumped by you and cheated on by a summer fling that I got drunk and hooked up with the first boy I saw!"

"You don't get to say that your life is worse. At least you can like people again! I can't. When I'm on a date and I blink, there is a moment where I see your face! If I kiss a girl, I taste your mouth. I say your name in my sleep, and it's getting pretty pathetic!" he screamed, but the look of surprise on his face told me that he hadn't meant to say all that.

"I lock my door every Friday morning and cry for an hour because that's when we used to meet because you had soccer and I had swimming." For the first time in this conversation, I didn't scream. Instead, my voice was timid from hearing what Joel had to say, and I really wanted to know more.

"When I get coffee, I always get the White Mocha Frappuccino that you like even though I hate it," Joel shrugged.

"I used to go on Zak's Facebook account just to see how you were doing."

"I would have done that, but someone blocked me," Joel nudged me, and I smiled. This is how we always ended fights. We'd scream. We'd quite down a little. Then, we'd laugh.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked, then remembering how he had a flight to California this Tuesday. It didn't matter that he was here now, but he was leaving soon. And, I do mean soon. It was already Friday.

"Well, Annie, we're at the point where you choose if you want Boy Toy over there," he smirked, making me playfully nudge him, "Or me."

"Joel, I love you," I smiled, and he did the same, but I wasn't done.

"I love you, but, on Tuesday morning, you get on a flight back to California, and I wont be able to see you again until Christmas Break. We'll basically never see each other. Even after graduation, I want to work in Public Relations, and you want to do charity work for a while. When could we possibly be together?"

I could see that Joel was dying beside me, and I was pretty dang close to it as well.

"I could try to transfer next year," he tried, but even he knew I would say no.

"And leave your dream school for me? I couldn't let you do that, Joel," I told him, making him nod.

"Well, then. What am I supposed to do about the fact that I love you?"

"I love you, too, Joel, but, for right now, we have to just…" I didn't know what to say so I changed my direction, "If we're going to end up together, we will end up together."

Joel nodded, his brown eyes full of disappointment. I didn't know how I looked, but I felt like I had died and gone to Tartus** (A/N: Can't seem to spell today)**.

"Kiss goodbye?" I tried to smile, but it was weaker than an Aphrodite girl in a game of dodge ball. He tried to smile at my 'Annie-Ways', but he couldn't pull one off either.

I silently prayed I hadn't made the wrong decision. If we would end up together, we'll end up together. That's just how it works, right?

While I was thinking of that, I found that his lips were on mine, and it was absolutely perfect. I suddenly found that I wasn't thinking of Marcus or anyone. I couldn't. The only thing on my mind was Joel and what I had just told him, trying to figure out a way that we could make the California-D.C. thing work, but I couldn't think of anything.

_**Well, that wasn't how I pictured what I'd right. I also didn't think I'd bring out Nikki's crush on Marcus, but this is how it worked out. Now, if you'll look back a little bit, you'll see that she didn't chose Joel, but she didn't chose Marcus either. I'm supposed to get through for years of college. So, if there is anything you want to see in the Freshman year, you need to tell me :-). If you have any questions, just PM me or simply write a review. **_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Artemis:**_

I felt sick as I walked into the airport. It reminded me of when I left for school, watching in horror as Beck began to cry. Zak tensed. With his father being Hades and everything, the air wasn't a safe place for him. He had flown a few times, but he would almost hyperventilate when the plane hit turbulence. When we were kids, Nikki and I used to laugh at that, but we outgrew that when Hades grandchildren, Charlie and Avery, almost ended up in a plane crash a few years ago. Ever since then, anyone related to Hades stays away from planes.

Nikki, Marcus, Zak, and I had driven Joel here. His flight was leaving in a few hours, but he had basically been gone since Friday. Whatever went down with he and Annie-which she won't tell me- was an ending point for him. He let go, and he was ready to go back to California. I was happy for him, of course, but I was definitely going to miss him. I wouldn't see him for a long time. He's a business major, even though he spent years telling us he wanted to be a teacher and go to Africa for a while before returning to the states to work back in New York, but he still wants to do charity work for a while over in Africa. After business school, he says he'll return to New York without a doubt. He'll be in his mid-twenties by then, and I haven't decided if I want to return to New York. Joel has his life planned out, but, because he was still in love with Annie, he just couldn't get into it. Now that they've worked it out, he's ready.

Nikki was walking beside Zak, trying her hardest to stay away from Marcus. She had been doing that a lot recently. They worked everything out, and they're pretty good friends. But there are times where it's like it hurts her to be around him, and that's another thing no one will seem to explain to me.

"_Summer's almost here," Annie smiled as she straightened herself on the couch. Zak, being completely bored, continued to flip through channels, and Joel looked mindlessly at a science book with me. We were fourteen, and finals were coming up soon. Annie wasn't worried about though. Honestly, I don't think it had once crossed her mind. Nikki had been freaking out about it. She was flying up to South America to be with her dad for part of the summer. It was going to be the first time she was going to see her dad in a long time, and her dad had always been top of the class at his days in Atlantic Prep. He expected her to be the same. Nikki had finally stopped hating him, and she wanted to make him proud. And failing finals would do the opposite. _

"_Which means my mom and step dad are going to Africa without me while I'm stuck at camp," Joel sighed. Africa was his favorite place. He had always dreamed about going. He could talk about it for hours on end. He's always said that he wants to become a teacher and work there for a while after college. _

_Annie looked at him as if to say 'Shut up, Kill Joy'. She quickly averted her eyes to look at all of us, her perky attitude making me want a long nap. Mom was at the doctor, and Percy was still at work. So, it was just us here. My little brother would be born any day now, they said. It still shocked me to think of my mom having a baby. They had told me a long time ago, but it hadn't set it. _

_I tried not to talk about it though. It felt too weird to talk about. Annie was excited. She had prayed for months that it would be a little girl, but she wasn't upset or anything when we found out it was a boy. She wanted a little sibling either way. As I looked up from the book and towards Annie, I saw the wedding photo. I had always hoped my mom would find someone as great as Percy, but, again, it felt weird. There were times when I really didn't know what to call him. Dad or Percy? He wasn't my real dad, but he's the closest thing I have. But a few weeks ago, I saw Hephaestus, and it made everything so confusing. _

"_I wonder what we'll be doing four years from now," Annie smiled, most likely knowing none of us were really listening. I knew by then we'd be in college, but I had a really weird feeling about it. It was like something was warning me to hold on to what I have now because, by then, I won't have it. _

"_Art will be freaking out about Finals," Zak smirked. I wanted to hit him, but I was too lazy to get up and do it. _

"_Says the guy who almost passed out when he saw when the exams were going to take place," I crossed my arms, smiling. Zak's face fell, and he stuck his tongue out at me. _

I was brought back to the current time by seeing Joel check his watch. It quickly set back in that this was it. I wouldn't see him until this summer, maybe. He skipped out last summer, and he could again. I tried not to think about that and suppressed the urge to grab Zak's hand or kidnap Joel.

"This is it, guys," Joel smiled, and Marcus was the only one who could return a true smile. The rest of us faked it. Marcus and Joel were never friends, and they would probably never be. They both wanted Annie, and only one could get her.

"You better not fall of the face of the earth this time," I hugged Joel, partly not wanting to let go.

"Make sure Zak here doesn't do anything stupid," Joel smirked, seeming completely upbeat. I bit my lip not to cry into his shoulder and let him go. Joel's eyes still sparkled in the daylight, like they had when we were kids. I remembered the first day I met him in complete detail. Joel stood at the top of a ramp, looking like a god. Then, his gaze drifted down to the people below him, Zak and me. Zak mumbled something insulting and got up to the ramp. He then proceeded to beat him out, until where Joel looked more like a jumble servant than a god. After that, they were best friends.

"Make sure _you_ don't do anything stupid, Joel," I smiled weakly, and Joel simply shook his head.

"Don't leave her, Zak. She's a smart one."

"What about me?" Nikki smirked.

They had the best friendship out of all of us.

I mean, we were _all_ friends, but they had something special. It wasn't like the 'Zak and I' chemistry, but it was the best friends for life thing. They were like siblings. It was obvious that they would always have each other's back no matter what.

"And you," he smiled widely, "Nikki, you're like my little sister. I love you, but please dye your hair back. I mean _please_."

"Come here, you dumb-butt," she opened her arms to hug him, and Joel closed the distance. I couldn't hold back a smile, even though the moment was kind of sad. Zak wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head, reminding me that this moment was depressing.

Nikki whispered something in his ear, which I couldn't hear, and Joel smiled and whispered something back, as if he had known all along whatever she told him. I had a feeling that I didn't know whatever this secret was, and apparently it wasn't much of a secret.

As Nikki let go of Joel, he turned his attention to Zak.

"Zak-Attack."

"Joey."

"Stay good."

"Try _being _good."

"Call me tomorrow?"

"Will do," Zak's smile was bright, like it always was.

Joel looked down at his watch, and I knew that this was it.

"I better get going if I want to make my flight," Joel smiled, not seeming to understand that he was leaving us for good. He spoke like he was just going to run to get a drink and come right back, but he wasn't.

"Good luck," I forced a smile.

Joel smiled and started to walk away.

I felt my heart break. It wouldn't be the same without him. Honestly, it _hadn't_ been. It was out of nowhere that we stopped talking. He broke up with Annie, and Annie was my sister. So, I _had_ to choose her side. It was still hard to understand that it really was over. I wouldn't wake up to find that it was a dream and that we were still seniors at Atlantic Prep, enjoying life and praising the gods that we were lucky enough to not end up like those girls in our class who found out that they were pregnant senior year. This wasn't a joke. This was _it._

Joel whirled around before completely walking away.

"Tell Annie I wish her good luck with Boy Toy."

_**Three Days Before Thanksgiving:**_

_**Annie**_:

I stopped the car, remembering how many times I had come down here to the parking lot. Artemis and I drove home for Thanksgiving, and it was the opposite of fun. Nikki was on some island in Spain, where her cousin is living with her daughter and husband, and her dad wanted her to spend some true time with him, meaning no phones. Zak came down earlier as Thanksgiving was the big announcement day for his mom's engagement, meaning he wanted to talk to Arty nonstop. Marcus was California, where his grandmother retired and wanted the family to come for Thanksgiving this year.

That all wasn't too bad and all, but I just couldn't enjoy it.

I missed my family and all, especially my dad. I had been hopeful to see them for weeks, and I should have been happy. Artemis was, but it was something about coming back to this apartment building.

A lot of good things happened here. I grew up in that apartment. My dad announced that he was going to marry Annabeth in the kitchen. I met my little brother for the first time in the living room. I found out I was going to be captain of my high school swim team on the fire escape. I read my college acceptance letter in my bedroom.

But I had a lot of bad things happen here. I watched my father be lonely for years, knowing that no matter how much we loved each other, it wouldn't make a difference. Bullies got to me, and I cried onto my dad's chest as he tried to soothe me. I found out that I wasn't Daddy's only girl anymore in there. I broke up with Joel in the hallway. I got excited after my first date with Joshua and learned that he had a girlfriend on the same night.

I tried not to think about that as I got out of the car.

It was hard to think of my room being repainted while I was gone. It was probably dull by now, and Will had probably snuck in there hundreds of times since Beck's window was baby-proofed and mine wasn't. My closet would be far from empty, but it all be so out of date by now. I didn't understand how so much had changed in the last few months. This was _my home_. My life was here, and, now, it was hours away in a college dorm room. I didn't get it.

Artemis pressed the elevator button, and images of the first moment I met Joshua filled my mind. I bit my tongue not to say anything and pulled my purse up higher on my shoulder, making a mental note to come back down to get my bags later. Artemis stepped onto the elevator, not scared at all.

She wasn't thinking about how her room had been redone. Or how no one sat at her seat at the kitchen table. Or how the only thing left of them was pictures everywhere. Or maybe how our parents weren't crying like most parents of college kids as they had a four year old to take care of.

I began to long to be like her, like I had many times in my life. She didn't know this of course, but Arty was the good daughter. She followed instructions. She had good grades. She wasn't boycrazy, and she had a great boyfriend who the entire family loved. Our little brother liked her more, and our parents trusted her more. Plus, she had love, which was something I wanted again more than anything.

"It's hard to think it's already Thanksgiving," Artemis smiled.

Oh, and she's beautiful, too.

"Yeah," I nodded, "Time just flew."

It didn't go fast enough though. I had thought that time would help me with the 'Marcus' situation, but it makes everything worse. And I can't talk to Artemis or Nikki about it because Arty is tired and Nikki just doesn't want to talk about it. I can't speak to him about it, and I have no clue what to do.

And I'm left to ask _Zak_ for advice on this, which is so _not_ an option.

The elevator dinged, making me snap out of my thoughts.

I followed close behind Artemis, trying not to think. But it was _all_ I could do, especially since Nikki would barely talk to me these days for reasons I didn't know. I hated not knowing things, especially about Nikki. She had never been complicated. She told you how she felt when she felt it, which was what I liked most about her, but she hasn't been doing that at all recently.

"You're back!" Beck's voice was the first thing I heard, and it reminded me of how I was supposed to be happy during this.

It had been months since I had seen him, and he was already so grown up. By the time we were finished with college, he'll be eight years old and probably done with loving his sisters so very much, which was a true pity.

"Oh my god, Beck! You're so grown up!" Arty was the first to speak, of course. She was his favorite, and he was hers.

_**Artemis:**_

"This totally sucks," Zak told me, and I simply nodded even though I knew he couldn't see me as we were talking on the phone, looking out at the window. It was yesterday that he had to go around telling his family that he was so happy that his mom was getting married, even though he really just needed a shot of something strong.

"It can't that bad," I tried.

"My aunt is talking about bridesmaid's dresses upstairs. The only way I got out was to say I needed a cigarette," Zak sighed.

"You don't smoke."

"Don't tell them that," Zak smirked, making me smile.

"Avery and Charlie came over."

It was the only thing I needed to say. I loved them so much, but they can be little devils when it comes down to it, especially Charlie. They're good kids, but they just have a knack for pranks, which are usually targeted at me.

"My condolences," Zak responded without another thought to it, "I guess my family isn't that bad. It's better than when they talk about you."

"They talk about me?"

"You know, the old 'Oh, you're_ still _together' or stuff like that. They mean well, I guess. But it's just annoying after a while."

"All my family knows you, except for Uncle Bobby, and he's too busy with his kids to notice that I'm even dating someone," I remembered the moment we had started dating as it had happened here on my fifteenth birthday.

The night had been cold, and I had somehow talked my way into not having to do any preparations for Movie Night. Annie was checking on Beck and Charlie, who were watching Star Wars, and Avery was putting out the candy for us to watch our movie, Legally Blonde for the millionth time. I got a text from Zak, and I claimed that I was getting more blankets. I still don't know how he got up on the veranda, but he did. I slid into a pair of combat boots and went outside in my Fairly Odd-Parents pajamas. I still felt cold, but, somehow, Zak's presence warmed me up. Zak started talking, and we both sat down on the ledge to keep talking. He then leaned over and kissed me. After that, we were a couple.

"Sounds like heaven compared to listening to 'Well, Zakky here is going to be such a great best man!'" Zak did that choking thing that showed me just how upset he was about all this.

"I already offered for you to come over here, but you said you'd be fine," I went back to the mirror where I began to reapply blush, remembering I was supposed to be down for lunch soon.

"I know. I know, Artty," Zak sighed, and I knew I heard the faint sound of a lighter in the background. Zak took a deep breath, probably trying to smoke like he was supposed to. Instead, he simply coughed until where I could believe he was going to cough up his lungs.

"God, how do people smoke?" Zak complained, making me smile again.

"I wouldn't know, Zak," I looked at myself in the mirror, thinking it was hard to believe that it was me in the reflection.

I remembered when I would look at myself and not see this. First, I would see a tiny toddler with bouncing blonde curls. I then morphed into a little kid with annoyingly curly hair and pale skin. Let's not even bring up the middle school years.

But I didn't look like I had in the past.

My hair had gone from annoying to beautiful like my mom. My grey eyes were bight like my mom, but they had that mischievous spark from my dad. I was tall, not tall enough to beat out Zak, but that was a pretty hard task. I wasn't thin or perfectly built like Annie, but I did think I was pretty.

"Yeah, my little goody-two-shoes," Zak smirked, and I wasn't sure if I should smile or not.

"Shut up," I checked my watch, suddenly remembering my family.

"Eh."

"Listen, Baby, I love you, but I have to get going. I'll call you later," I knew I would regret hanging up the moment I sat down to listen to my Uncle Bobby reminisce about when I was a kid and such.

"Love you, too. Tell Beck I said hi, okay?"

"Will do," I smiled one last time before hearing the 'click' of him hanging up the phone. I set the Droid back down on my dresser and looked at the reflection of my room in the mirror. The walls were beige, and the comforter was light blue, which was nothing like I had kept it. My closet was open to the memorable clothes I kept because I couldn't bear to part with them. The room didn't have the feel to it that it did when I lived here.

But that was it.

I _didn't_ live here anymore.

This wasn't _my_ room. It was_ a_ room.

My breathing got heavy out of nowhere, and I pulled myself together so I wouldn't cry. It was hard to do though. I had been alright with moving out of the apartment I lived in as a child, but I was moving here. And I still was a kid. I could still make new memories. This wasn't the same though.

I was grown up, and I'd be out on my own in a few years. I lived in a dorm room, not in a room in my parent's apartment. I went to American University, not the prep school a few blocks away. Beck did all those things. Beck was the baby, and I was the young adult.

"Arty?"

"It's open, Beck," I pulled myself together, faking a smile. The door opened, and little Beck stood at the doorway. He had been a great mood since we all got here, which made sense. It would only be natural for him to be like that, I guess.

"Hey, Artemis," Beck's bright smile reminded me of Percy, who he looked just like except for having our mom's eyes.

"What's up, Becky?" I smiled.

"Um, remember how I said I didn't like Katrina?" Beck stared down at the floor nervously.

"Uh-huh…"

"Well…I lied," Beck's green eyes met mine.

_**Well, I have covered a lot of ground. I didn't know my story was actually **_**this**_** long, but no matter. I will write about four years of college even if it kills me, which I could believe since I know deep inside that I will most definitely die by something ironic. Hey, I want to give a little shout out to Andrew. I know he wont read this, but I do want to say that I would love to continue our conversation sometime because I **_**still **_**don't know if that was a compliment ;)**_


End file.
